Drawing on history, UK's Cameron hits "patriotic" note for EU membership

May 9, 2016 10:18 AM

"I want to show that if you love this country, if you want to keep it strong in the world and keep our people safe, our membership of the EU is one of the tools that helps us to do these things."

Drawing on history, UK's Cameron hits "patriotic" note for EU membership

Prime Minister David Cameron made a "big, bold, patriotic case" for Britain to stay in the European Union on Monday, saying membership helped protect the country and boosted its power on the world stage.

In a speech setting out the security argument for Britain to vote to remain in the EU in a referendum on June 23, Cameron drew on British military history, invoking the memory of war leader Winston Churchill to bolster his case that "isolationism has never served this country well".

"This is a decision also about our place in the world, about how we keep our country safe, how Britain can get things done in Europe and across the world, and not just accept a world dictated by others," he told diplomats and campaigners.

He also challenged "Out" campaigners, which include some of his closest allies, to show how Britain would be safer and better off if the country left the 28-member bloc, saying they were "asking us to take a massive risk with the future of our economy and the future of our country".