The President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker has issued a stark warning to Britain by claiming that Brussels will do no favour to the "deserters" of the European Union.
"Deserters will not be welcomed with open arms" Juncker said in an interview published by Le Monde, referring to the possibility of a Brexit result in the June referendum.
"If the British say 'no', something which I hope does not happen, community life will not be like before and “The UK will have to get used to being regarded as a third party state, which we won’t be handling with kid gloves."
Juncker’s comments arrive in the face of the European Commission’s previous stance of not undermining the UK referendum campaign.
A little over a month to the referendum, supporters of staying in Europe are 55% taking the average poll results from What UK Think.
Supporters of a Brexit say warnings, such as this one from Juncker, are part of a strategy to generate fear.
Boris Johnson’s warning of a collapse in the UK economy and Michael Gove’s warning of “a dark and poor future” were countered last week by UK’s luvvies including Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley stating that only by staying in Europe would arts flourish.
"The UK is not only stronger in Europe, is more imaginative and creative. Our global artistic success would be seriously committed to an EU exit," wrote the signatories of a manifesto published in The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian.
"Abandoning Europe would be a leap into the unknown for millions of people throughout the UK, working in artistic fields and millions of other people, here and abroad, benefit from the growth and dynamism of the British cultural sector" read the letter.
Besides the already mentioned, among the signatories are also actors Bill Nighy, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kristin Scott Thomas, Helena Bonham Carter and Derek Jacobi, the group Franz Ferdinand and singer Paloma Faith, the designer Vivienne Westwood and the writer Tom Stoppard.
A poll conducted among members of the Federation of Creative Industries in Britain showed that 96% of them wish to remain in the EU, have continued access to the European market, with its subsidies and free movement.
From the world of film, actor Michael Caine is in favour of leaving the union, and not many people know that…
