EU referendum: Brexit would mean 'lost decade' for UK, David Cameron warns

David Cameron has warned of a ‘lost decade’ for Britain if the country votes to leave the EU.

Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show, he said. “It took Greenland three years to leave the EU. It has taken Canada seven years to negotiate [access to the single market]. There is a risk of a lost decade for Britain.

“It would suck the energy out of our country. It wouldn’t be the end of Europe question. It would be the beginning.

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The BBC’s Andrew Marr told him independent economic forecasts had said the economic consequences would not be as severe as the 2008 economic crash, and that it would lead to the most ‘shallow recession’ since the 1950s.

“Who wants to vote for a shallow recession?” Mr Cameron said.

“I know what it’s like as a Prime Minister trying to fill a black hole, trying to get people back to work, having to make difficult decisions.

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“I know people don’t all agree with some of those decisions because they were tough decisions, but we don’t want to have to do it all again.”

The Prime Minister said the question of Turkey joining the EU was a “complete red herring.”

“The idea we are shackled to a corpse, when it is our biggest market and these are growing countries is just nonsense.”

“There is no possibility of Turkey joining the EU in decades,” he said. Though the possibility of another referendum within decades is just as remote.

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An ORB poll for The Independent on Friday night put the Leave side 10 points ahead on 55 per cent to 45. Asked if he believed he was ‘on the edge of losing’, the Prime Minister stopped short of admitting the race is now far closer than he may have foreseen. “

“No one knows what these polls are saying,” he said. “But I don’t want us to take the risks. I’m confident we have the strongest, most positive case.”

The EU referendum debate has so far been characterised by bias, distortion and exaggeration. So until 23 June we we’re running a series of question and answer features that explain the most important issues in a detailed, dispassionate way to help inform your decision.