LONDON: Britain’s export performance in the European Union demolishes the claims of pro-Remain figures that the single market has been a massive benefit for the UK, Leave campaigners said last night.
It came amid a growing row over warnings by the heads of the Bank of England and the International Monetary Fund that Brexit could tip the country into recession and slash family incomes.
Official EU statistics show over the last decade the value of British exports of goods to other EU countries had fallen in cash terms by just over 18 per cent – worse than any other member state apart from Luxembourg.
In the last 15 years, the value of British exports of goods to the EU grew just 0.33 per cent – worse than any other.
By contrast, German exports of goods to the EU during the same period rose by nearly 80 per cent.
Meanwhile pro-Leave politicians were scathing about financial institutions’ meddling in the referendum campaign.
Iain Duncan Smith yesterday questioned whether George Osborne was involved in arranging for IMF chief Christine Lagarde to release her findings the next day.
“Do you think they told each other or talked to each other about what they were doing? I wonder about that,” he told BBC1’s Sunday Politics programme
He also claimed Bank of England Governor Mark Carney had breached his impartiality duty, adding: “I think the Governor has strayed now into the expression of what is a simple, personal prediction.”
Mr Carney yesterday defended the Bank’s warnings last Thursday about the likely negative impact on Britain if it leaves the EU.
He told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show: “We have a responsibility to explain risk and then take steps, because by explaining what we would do to mitigate them we reduce them.”
