Nigel Farage: Brexit referendum is biggest event in EU history

Ukip leader Nigel Farage claims that Britain's 23 June referendum is the biggest event in the EU's history and a Brexit vote would "bring an end to the entire European project."

By Martin Banks

Martin Banks is a senior reporter at the Parliament Magazine

09 Jun 2016

His comments come after it was announced that voter registration for the EU referendum will be extended until midnight on Thursday after technical problems hit the official website. The difficulties happened just before Tuesday night's deadline.

The UK government blamed "unprecedented demand" and said half a million people tried to register to vote. 

Speaking in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Farage said: "We have in two weeks' time what is to be the biggest event in the history of this project."

He told MEPs, "It is the British referendum and it's not just about whether Britain leaves the EU because if we make that choice I'm confident many other countries will make that choice too."

"I hope this is the last time I'll be speaking in this Parliament from a member state and I hope that we are going to leave this union on 23 June."

His comments come as new polls present a mixed picture with both the Leave and Remain campaigns seen as dishonest but Remain marginally more so.

A recent series of polls also show that a rise in support for leaving the EU has led to a 1.1 per cent fall in the pound against the US dollar, hitting the lowest level for three weeks, and a sharp rise in expected volatility in the pound over the next few weeks. 

Farage was in France to take part in a parliamentary debate on Wednesday with other members on a mid-term review of the Juncker Investment Plan, which seeks to review Europe's economic fortunes.

The Juncker plan, valued at some €315bn, seeks to boost jobs and growth in the EU.

The Ukip MEP told the plenary session, "Those who called the investment plan a rip-roaring success just have a look around at the empty seats this morning. 

"The idea that tens of billions of private capital are going to arrive for joint projects with you guys frankly I think is pie in the sky. Though happily Cameron, of course, has committed ‎£6bn of our money to this project, if ever you're short of money just ask Cameron because he always pays up. But it is I think these grand projects that in many ways, I think are sowing the seeds of the end of this political project."

Farage's comments in parliament come after he and UK Prime Minister David Cameron faced audience questions on the EU referendum for half an hour each in a TV debate on Tuesday.

In the live discussion, Farage said he had been "demonised" for his views on immigration. He faced accusations of "inflammatory" scaremongering during exchanges with members of the public but still insisted there was wide support for "getting a grip" on migration, including from ethnic minority groups.

The PM said there were "good and bad ways" to control immigration but warned against a "Little England" stance.

 

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