EU referendum would cause chaos, says Blair

EU referendum would cause chaos, says Blair

Press quote (EurActiv)
07 April 2015
From 
http://www.euractiv.com/sections/uk-europe/eu-referendum-would-cause-chaos-says-blair-313579
The renewed focus on the EU in the campaign comes as the Centre for European Reform published a report saying a UK exit from the EU would disproportionately affect disadvantaged areas. The report suggests the less affluent areas of the UK are also those that rely most on exports to the EU.

In the northeast of England, one of the poorest regions in the country, exports to the EU account for 15% of private sector output. This compares to 9% for the more affluent southeast. Should the UK leave the EU it would seek to negotiate a trade deal to gain access to the single market. The report suggests such a deal might not be automatic.

“There are good reasons to think that a post-Brexit free trade agreement might not be achieved,” say the reports. “The remaining EU countries might seek to punish Britain, to deter others from perusing the same strategy…it is easy to overstate the importance of the UK market to the other member states.”

The report also highlights the likelihood of post Brexit access to the single market being conditional on accepting many of the rules that govern it, including the free movement of people which would prove extremely contentious.

“This evidence should prompt them, particularly in the UK’s poorer regions, to reconsider the risks [of Brexit],” concludes the report.

See the report: Disunited Kingdom: Why 'Brexit' endangers Britain's poorer regions here.