Key dates in the referendum race for June 23 vote

The British referendum campaign on whether to leave the EU has been overshadowed by the murder of MP Jo Cox in northern England. Campaigning in the sometimes bitter debate will be suspended for a third day on Saturday following the murder, both sides said. Here are key dates which have led up to the Brexit referendum next Thursday, June 23.

l On Feb. 20, Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron announces a June 23 date for the referendum after negotiating key reforms at an EU summit in Brussels.
l The next day, Feb. 21, London’s mayor Boris Johnson throws his weight behind the campaign for Britain to leave the EU, in a blow to his old friend and rival Prime Minister David Cameron, who had appealed for his backing. “After a great deal of heartache... I will be advocating vote ‘Leave’,” Johnson said.
l Labour opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn emerges from his silence, calling on Britons on April 14 to vote in favor of staying in the EU, a day ahead of the start of official campaigning.
l Several days later, on April 22, US President Barack Obama warns “The UK’s going to be at the back of the queue,” if it leaves the EU.
l International bodies warn that a British exit would harm the global economy, with the Group of Seven (G7) highly industrialized countries saying: “The shock of a potential UK exit from the European Union (could) also complicate the global economic environment.”
l International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde had already lent her voice to the “Remain” campaign, warning that quitting the EU would be “pretty bad to very, very bad” for the British economy.
l Others that back the “Remain” camp include the OECD, EU politicians, and former NATO leaders and US defense, foreign and treasury secretaries.
l In early June, the number of those who said they would vote to leave the EU moves ahead, with an average of the six last polls released by WhatUKThinks on June 6 putting “Leave” at 51 percent against “Remain” at 49 percent.
l Government ministries are no longer allowed to take part in the campaign, while Brexit campaigners capture headlines with plans for an Australian-style points-based immigration system.
l On June 14, Britain’s most-read newspaper The Sun urges readers to “to vote LEAVE.”
l On June 15, a Brexit fishing flotilla sails up the River Thames sounding foghorns and displaying anti-EU signs, led by UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage in a protest against EU fisheries policy. Pro-EU rocker Bob Geldof pulls up in a rival boat, shouting “Nigel you’re a fraud” through a loudspeaker, only to be hosed with water from a “Leave” boat.
l Pro-Remain lawmaker Jo Cox of the opposition Labour Party is killed outside her constituency surgery in Birstall in Yorkshire, northern England. Eye witnesses said she was shot two or three times before being stabbed repeatedly by a man who subsequently walked away. There were reports that he shouted “Britain first” or “put Britain first,” although this is disputed. Within hours the Remain and Leave camps announced they were suspending their campaigns as a mark of respect for the late Labour deputy.

Source: Arab News