The Sun backs Brexit and urges its readers to follow suit
Daily newspaper has a daily readership of 12 million and sets down a major marker in EU referendum debate
- "We must set ourselves free from dictatorial Brussels," paper says.
- Remain campaign labelled "nasty, cynical and personally abusive" by The Sun
Britain's most read newspaper The Sun has landed a blow to those hoping to keep the UK in the European Union as it urged its 12 million readers to vote to leave the bloc in the referendum on June 23rd.
The daily tabloid newspaper cites several reasons for the decision to back Brexit, posted in typically dramatic fashion on Tuesday morning's front page. Among these are an easing of immigration and freedom from a dictatorial EU led by the powerful German government.
"BeLEAVE in Britain" was the headline as the newspaper made a passionate plea to its readers, referring to the editorial call as "the biggest political decision of our lives".
Be-leave in Britain: The Sun backs Brexit. https://t.co/tcc9mh7Hob pic.twitter.com/vNr6czdum1
— The Sun (@TheSun) June 14, 2016
"We must set ourselves free from dictatorial Brussels. Throughout our 43-year membership of the European Union it has proved increasingly greedy, wasteful, bullying and breathtakingly incompetent in a crisis."
The EU has come under increasing pressure since the global financial crisis in 2008, with various member nations struggling with rising debt and austerity plans.
"Greece is bankrupt. Italy is in danger of going the same way, with even more disastrous consequences. In Spain, 45 per cent of those under 25 are out of work."
The Sun supports the idea that Britain will be much stronger without the apparent shackles of Brussels, and gives examples of democracies outside the bloc that flourish without these constraints. "Outside the EU we can become richer, safer and free at long last to forge our own destiny — as America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and many other great democracies already do. And as we were the first to do centuries ago."
The EU has come under increasing pressure since the global financial crisis in 2008, with various member nations struggling with rising debt and austerity plans.
It went on to criticise the campaign fought by Prime Minister David Cameron and other Remain supporters, referring to it as "Project Fear".
"The Remain campaign, made up of the corporate establishment, arrogant europhiles and foreign banks, have set out to terrify us all about life outside the EU."
"Their “Project Fear” strategy predicts mass unemployment, soaring interest rates and inflation, plummeting house prices, even world war."
The Sun has traditionally been critical of the EU, so the news may not come as a surprise to many, but that being said, it is still a significant advantage for the Leave vote to have such a popular newspaper on its side. The paper appeals predominantly to the working-class bracket that is being targeted by Boris Johnson et al's campaign, and this should consolidate their position in this regard.
