If the number of foreign politicians and international organisations that the government is enlisting in the campaign to stay in the EU is anything to go by, David Cameron and George Osborne are a bit nervous about the outcome of the referendum. This week in particular has seen the Chancellor using not just the might of the Treasury to scare voters about Brexit, or just the might of the President of the United States, but also eight former US Treasury secretaries. In their letter today, the former ministers write that Britain leaving the EU would threaten the Special Relationship. They argue:
‘It would reduce Britain’s very positive influence as an ally of the United States and a strong participant in the G7 and in the G20. It would be a step towards a more closed, more protectionist, less effective and less prosperous global economy.’
Do these interventions work? Osborne and Cameron clearly think so, given they’re wheeling everyone out with so many weeks to go. And talking to MPs campaigning for Leave, they think so too, mainly because these interventions naturally get far more attention in the media than anything the Outers can muster. It might be that lectures from foreign governments upset voters, and make them more likely to back Out. But the Outers are also aware of the power that they are up against in the campaign. They see this week as being a difficult one, and hope that the decision to deploy Obama early will mean they can catch up in the weeks to come.
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