BREXIT HANGS BY A THREAD
Polls show EU vote is tight in the extreme as Remain says Scottish votes will play a crucial role
THE Brexit campaign is on a knife-edge, with only three days before Britons go to the polls to decide if our future lies inside or outside the European Union. Polls yesterday were neck-andneck – and scottish votes could prove crucial.
A survation poll for The scottish Mail on sunday put Remain on 45 per cent, with Leave on 42 per cent.
Two polls by yougov came back with contrasting results; one showing Leave with a two-point lead, the other with Remain ahead by one.
The Mail on sunday poll reflects a dramatic six-point turnaround since last Thursday, only hours before Labour MP Jo Cox was killed in her constituency.
Undecideds were unchanged at 13 per cent and, if stripped out, the result is 5248 per cent in favour of Remain.
But the Remain campaign last night insisted it was taking nothing for granted. It said it was vital that pro-EU scots vote, insisting scotland could be crucial in keeping the UK in the EU.
speaking as he campaigned in Central Edinburgh, spokesman John Edward said: ‘Our approach in the last few days will be to stress that there is absolutely everything to play for as the UK polls indicate it is too close to call – so every
GEORGE Osborne yesterday likened a pro-Brexit poster produced by Nigel Farage to Nazi propaganda from the 1930s.
As the referendum quickly descended back into a bitter war of words, the Chancellor described the poster as ‘disgusting and vile’.
Ukip leader Mr Farage came under fire from MPs on all sides over the billboard, which shows a queue of refugees and claims the UK is at ‘breaking point’.
Michael Gove, who is leading the Vote Leave campaign, said the poster – an image of migrants massed on the border between Croatia and Slovenia – made him ‘shudder’.
But the most vitriolic criticism came from Mr Osborne during an appearance on ITV’s Peston on Sunday programme, in which he accused Mr Farage of ‘whipping up division’.
He said that, in the wake of the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox, ‘we need to have a less divisive political debate in our country’ with ‘less baseless assertion and inflammatory rhetoric’.
Mr Osborne added: ‘That disgusting and vile poster that Nigel Farage did which had echoes of literature used in the 1930s. That is what we should say no to and this referendum vote is a vote on the kind of Britain we want.’
Speaking to the BBC’s Andrew Marr programme, Mr Gove distanced himself from the Ukip leader, as did key Leave supporters.
Justice Secretary Mr Gove said: ‘When I saw that poster, I shuddered. I thought it was the wrong thing to do.’
But, defending the poster, Mr Farage said that it ‘reflects the truth of what’s going on’.
Mr Farage said he thought Mrs Cox’s death hours after the poster was unveiled on Thursday had heightened criticism, telling Sky News: ‘I wish an innocent MP had not been gunned down in the street. Had that not happened I don’t think we would have had the kind of row over it.’
Mr Farage also claimed he was a ‘victim’ of the hatred in British political life, saying: ‘Look, when you challenge the Establishment in this country they come after you, they call you all sorts of things, and to be honest we saw the Chancellor a few minutes ago – despite the fact overnight he talked about toning down the rhetoric – doing the same thing again.
‘All we have said in this referendum campaign is we want to take back control of our lives, take back control of our borders and put in place a responsible immigration policy. And quite frankly when it comes to negativity and rhetoric we’ve seen far more of it from the Remain side.’
On Question Time last night, David Cameron said the poster was ‘wrong in fact’ as it showed Syrian refugees not headed to Britain.
The PM said: ‘There is an attempt to scare people.’
‘Disgusting and vile’