IEA reaction to Leave vote in EU referendum

24 Jun 2016 10:43 AM

Mark Littlewood, Director General of the Institute of Economic Affairs, commented on the news that the British electorate has voted to leave the European Union

"Today's vote to leave the European Union presents the UK with a great and exciting opportunity to look outwards to the rest of the world, to take a more internationalist approach and move towards a position of free trade on a global basis, with the EU but also beyond it.

"The UK government must now prioritise securing a mutually beneficial trade deal with the EU and outside the EU, taking the first step towards a more independent and global future. There is no need to trigger Article 50 immediately; the negotiation process should be decided upon carefully and calmly without unnecessary knee-jerk reactions.

"Leaving the European Union has also opened up the possibility for the UK government to adopt a much fairer, non-discriminatory immigration policy that no longer puts non-EU nationals at a disadvantage and is instead applied equally across the world."

Notes to editors:

To arrange an interview please contact Nerissa Chesterfield, Communications Officer: nchesterfield@iea.org.uk or 020 7799 8920 or 07791 390 268

The IEA takes no corporate position on whether Britain should stay in the European Union and a wide range of views are held by the Institute’s staff, trustees and wider supporters.

The mission of the Institute of Economic Affairs is to improve understanding of the fundamental institutions of a free society by analysing and expounding the role of markets in solving economic and social problems. 

The IEA is a registered educational charity and independent of all political parties.