LONDON, April 24, (APP/AFP) – US President Barack Obama
has sharpened his warnings about Britain’s reduced global influence
in the event of it leaving the EU, warning it could take ten years
to reach a UK-US trade deal.
In an interview with the BBC broadcast on the final day of
his four-day visit to Britain Sunday, Obama said that Britain would
have “less influence globally” if it votes to leave the EU in
a June referendum.
On the prospect of Britain reaching a post-Brexit trade
deal with the US, Obama said “it could be five years from now,
10 years from now before we were able to actually get something
done.”
“The UK would not be able to negotiate something with the
United States faster than the EU,” he said.
“We wouldn’t abandon our efforts to negotiate a trade
deal with our largest trading partner, the European
market.”
His comments are the latest in a series of stark warnings
about the consequences of Britain ditching its EU membership that
have poured fuel on an already heated debate and prompted a
furious response from anti-EU campaigners.