British Prime Minister David Cameron said Monday that the United Kingdom should stay in the European Union for geopolitical reasons and political strength.
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A day after former chief of the Secret Intelligence Service John Sawers warned Brexit could threaten security, Cameron stressed the need for access to vital European intelligence and law enforcement capabilities. His speech came six weeks before the referendum vote, which has seen heavy campaigning by Cameron to stay and by former London mayor Boris Johnson to leave.
“We must be strong in the EU if we want to be strong at home and in the world,” he said. "Isolationism has never served this country well." In other words, the UK's position in the EU, like its position in NATO and the U.N. Security Council, ensures the country's opportunity to wield power in the world.
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Invoking the memory of World War II – the "Stay" campaign interviews several veterans for their promotional ads – Cameron spoke about historical cooperation and said that a "Leave" vote could help dismantle well-earned peace.
Appealing to patriotism, he implied that Britain’s exceptional values would not be diluted by the European Union, but rather reinforced.
"Either we influence Europe, or it influences us,” he said.
The body’s massive data troves, criminal investigations and border control apparatus would help the island better manage migration flows and counter-terrorism, he said. Inclusion in the single market and continuity with dozens of trade deals would also bolster Britain’s economic might, since at the end of the day, he added, “these are people’s jobs and livelihoods that are being toyed with.”
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