Darling accuses Eurosceptics of living in a fantasy world

FORMER Chancellor Alistair Darling today warns of another financial crisis if Britain leaves the EU and accuses Eurosceptics of living in ‘fantasy’ land.

In a speech in Central London, Mr Darling will weigh in on behalf of the Britain Stronger in Europe campaign. He will accuse Eurosceptics of ‘playing with fire and asking the British people to play along’.

‘There is nothing patriotic about turning a blind eye to credible warnings of economic disaster,’ he will say. ‘They are offering a fantasy future where we keep all the benefits of being in Europe without being part of the single market. It’s Project Fantasy.’

Mr Darling will also draw on his experience of the 2008 financial crisis – when he infamously warned of impending financial disaster. ‘We know what happens when confidence plummets. We saw that in 2008 and we are still living with the consequences. Confidence remains low and uncertainty is making that worse. When the IMF single us out as facing what will be a self-inflicted wound, we can’t ignore it.’

Last night Eurosceptics hit out at the former Chancellor’s decision to draw parallels with the financial crisis.

John Redwood, Tory MP and a member of Vote Leave said: ‘This is outrageous. We are not in anything like the position we were in 2008. It is a very bad idea to undermine confidence in the economy and the banks.’

Yesterday Lloyds Bank become the latest blue chip giant to warn about Brexit, saying it was ‘likely to cause economic uncertainty and potential volatility in the short term’.