In Britain, campaigns make final push before historic Brexit vote
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Britain votes Thursday on whether to stay in the European Union or leave, and officials representing the Remain and Leave campaigns are making their final pitches to voters in a flurry of events, including a public debate in Wembley Arena. Prime Minister David Cameron, who wants Britain to remain in the EU, said the polls are "very close; nobody knows what's going to happen."
At the spirited Wembley debate, with 6,000 people in the audience and many more watching on TV, Boris Johnson, a member of Cameron's Conservative Party and leader of the Leave campaign, accused the Remain camp of going "back to project fear" on the economic fallout of leaving the EU and of "talking down" the UK. "This Thursday can be our country's independence day," Johnson said. Johnson's Liberal successor as London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, said the Leave campaign has "been 'project hate' as far as immigration is concerned." Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, speaking for the Remain side, accused the Leave side of "lying" and cautioned voters that if they vote to leave, there's "no going back on Friday morning." The Remain side, she said, has "refused to dismiss the experts" who all agree that "Britain is better-off in" the EU.
Britain is divided over the referendum, but Britain's main allies are pretty uniform in their support for staying in the EU. Results of the referendum are expected Friday morning.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Corruption: The spy sheikh and the presidentFeature Trump is at the center of another scandal
-
Putin’s shadow warFeature The Kremlin is waging a campaign of sabotage and subversion against Ukraine’s allies in the West
-
Media: Why did Bezos gut ‘The Washington Post’?Feature Possibilities include to curry favor with Trump or to try to end financial losses
-
Judge orders Washington slavery exhibit restoredSpeed Read The Trump administration took down displays about slavery at the President’s House Site in Philadelphia
-
Hyatt chair joins growing list of Epstein files losersSpeed Read Thomas Pritzker stepped down as executive chair of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation over his ties with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
-
Bondi, Democrats clash over Epstein in hearingSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi ignored survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and demanded that Democrats apologize to Trump
-
El Paso airspace closure tied to FAA-Pentagon standoffSpeed Read The closure in the Texas border city stemmed from disagreements between the Federal Aviation Administration and Pentagon officials over drone-related tests
-
Judge blocks Trump suit for Michigan voter rollsSpeed Read A Trump-appointed federal judge rejected the administration’s demand for voters’ personal data
