Angry Britons have launched a petition calling for U.S. President Barack Obama to be prevented from speaking in the UK parliament on Britain’s forthcoming referendum on European Union (EU) membership.
The petition on the Parliament website, which has so far been signed by over 4,000 people, calls on ministers and MPs to stop Mr Obama using parliament as a platform to tell Britain to stay in the European Union.
If the petition reaches 10,000 signatures the government will be obliged to issue an official response, and if over 100,000 sign it will be considered for debate in parliament.
The Guardian reported last week that the U.S. President is planning a “big, public reach-out” to stop Britain voting the leave the European Union, however there are already signs his interference could backfire.
This Friday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said America had a “profound interest” in a “strong UK staying inside a strong European Union”.
His speech was strongly criticised by Eurosceptics, with Jack Montgomery of campaign group Leave.EU saying: “It might be convenient for John Kerry, who has repeatedly declined to support the UK in the Falklands, for us to be in the EU, but that doesn’t mean it’s good for us.
“Imagine if Kerry proposed a pan-American union in which an unelected commission would control United States immigration policy, trade policy and regulations, among a host of other important matters. He would be run out of Washington DC on a rail.”
Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg said: “The intervention of patronising foreign potentates such as Kerry… can only help the Leave campaign.
“They speak to their national interest not ours so will antagonise the freedom loving British voter.”
Fellow Conservative John Redwood added: “Most British people will feel this is a debate for us and it’s unusual for a foreign country to wish to intervene… I don’t know what he means by it. I don’t suppose he’s thought it through at all.
“If the United States was about to enter a union with Mexico, Cuba and Canada on a similar basis to the European Union then maybe they would have some moral authority to tell us to do the same with Eastern Europe and Italy.”