President Obama has once again demanded that the United Kingdom stays inside the European Union, telling BBC in an interview that the UK represents the “cornerstone” of the institution.
“Having the United Kingdom in the European Union gives us much greater confidence about the strength of the transatlantic union,” he said, neglecting the fact that Britain is a net contributor to the organisation, and has given up much of its sovereignty to the EU.
Obama argued that the European Union had “made the world safer and more prosperous” combating critics who believe that it’s membership takes away from the UK’s sovereignty, arguing that the UK wielded greater influence.
“We want to make sure that the United Kingdom continues to have that influence,” he said.
President Obama’s comments come just a week after UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage MEP visited Washington D.C., slamming the Obama administration and the U.S. State Department for repeatedly involving itself in British affairs, particularly related to the EU.
During a speech at the Heritage Foundation, Mr Farage told of how “tired” he is, “of the Obama line, and the State Department line” on the European Union, and how they keep urging Britain to remain a member state.
Earlier in the month he tweeted, “We don’t need to take foreign policy advice from the American President. The last time we did that it was called the Iraq War.”