EU exit won’t seal borders claims PM

QUITTING the EU could still leave Britain with open borders and paying millions to Brussels, David Cameron will warn today.

The Prime Minister, who will make the argument at a summit with Nordic leaders in Iceland, was last night accused of dropping ‘any semblance of neutrality’ on the issue by stressing the difficulties of an exit.

He will warn that Britain would not be a ‘land of milk and honey’ outside the EU.

Some Eurosceptics had claimed that the UK could enjoy a special relationship with the EU, in the same way as Norway.

The state is not an EU member but is in the European Economic Area – along with Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein – granting it access to the single market.

But Downing Street last night set out ‘five key questions’ for those advocating the so-called ‘Norway option’, focusing on the costs to Britain. A briefing document suggested that if Britain votes to leave the EU, it could still have to obey the bloc’s rules but with ‘no votes or say over how they are set’.

As part of the single market, Norway has to accept the free movement of workers.

No 10 said: ‘In fact [Norway] takes in over twice as many EU migrants per head as the UK ... So how would becoming like Norway in any way help address public concerns over EU migration?’

The document also points out that ‘Norway has to pay hundreds of millions of euros in membership fees to access to single market’ – just as much as it would have to pay as an EU member.

Mr Cameron has promised an in/out referendum on Britain’s EU membership by the end of 2017, in which the Government will officially be neutral.

He insists that while he would prefer Britain to stay in, he ‘rules nothing out’ if his renegotiation for new membership terms is not successful. But a spokesman for anti-EU campaign group Vote Leave said the briefing showed Downing Street was ‘in a panic’.

He added: ‘They have given up on the renegotiation and have instead decided to resort to Project Fear.

‘Number 10 appear to have dropped any semblance of neutrality.’

Many of those who advocate an exit argue that Britain would be able to sign trade deals with EU countries.

But Downing Street said these deals, which underpin 60 per cent of Britain’s trade, would require ‘lengthy negotiations’ which may not be successful.

Mr Cameron’s aides also pointed out that several senior politicians in Norway have warned the UK against its model.

Norway’s foreign minister Borge Brende said: ‘Britain would be forced to implement every rule from Brussels, even if it leaves the European Union.’

Vote Leave’s campaign director Dominic Cummings said the group does not support a ‘Norway option’ for Britain.