SamCam: I’m IN...2016 for my kids’ future
Cameron’s wife says leaving EU would lead to ‘years of uncertainty’
IN her first newspaper article, Samantha Cameron has made an impassioned plea for British voters to support her prime minister husband’s views – and vote to stay in the European Union.
The businesswoman and mother of three, who has been married to David Cameron for 20 years, said that she usually leaves politics to her husband – but felt the need to share her views because Brexit is ‘far bigger than any issue we’ve faced before’.
‘I know that people will read this and think, “Of course she’d say that – she’s got a vested interest”. They’re right. I have got a vested interest – my children and their future,’ she wrote in the article.
‘Like all mothers, I care about what sort of country my children grow up in – about their opportunities, their safety and their happiness. We’re making this momentous decision on their behalf.
‘My starting point is economic and it’s personal. We hear this phrase about Britain being better off inside Europe. To me, that’s no slogan – it’s a practical reality. I have worked for a British leather goods company for almost 20 years. I’m proud to be part of a business whose products are designed and made in Britain, but which also imports and exports to and from factories, stores and customers overseas. I have learned the hard way how much easier it is to trade with EU countries than the rest of the world. This isn’t because European countries are closer. It’s because, within the EU, we don’t have to deal with customs, tariffs or quotas.’
She continued: ‘I dread imagining what things would be like if we lost our special arrangements with Europe and if we lost our seat at the table protecting our businesses and services exporting abroad.
‘That’s what the Brexit campaigners admit would happen if we vote Out – we’d drop out of the Single Market and have to negotiate a new relationship with the EU. This could take years – years of uncertainty.’
She said she had considered the advice of experts such as the IMF and the governor of the Bank of England: ‘What they’re saying is that there is probably going to be a recession if we leave Europe. I hear that word with deep foreboding. Remember what this country has been recovering from over the past six years. Families have struggled and made real sacrifices. I’ve seen colleagues made redundant.
‘I’ve watched my husband work day and night trying to jump-start our economy, making some really difficult decisions along the way.
‘Do we really want to go back there? The country has worked so hard to get us out of that last mess. We need to continue working hard to grow the economy, create the jobs and generate the finances we need to invest in the NHS and other essential services. The prospect of another recession is too depressing and scary to contemplate.’
Ultimately, though, she said her reason for sharing her view was her concern for the British economy and for her children.
‘The world is getting more competitive every day, moving forwards and changing quickly. We can’t let Britain and our children get left behind while we spend years in negotiations, trying to extract our country from the EU.
‘I want my children growing up with the advantage of starting their careers in a country that is a big fish in a big pond, leading the way in Europe and the world.’
‘They’re right – I have got a vested interest’ ‘Another recession is too scary to contemplate’