Britain could wait seven years to agree a new relationship with the European Union if it votes for Brexit next week, European Council president Donald Tusk has warned.
In an interview with the German daily Bild today, Mr Tusk said that although Britain's exit from the EU could be negotiated within two years, agreeing new arrangements would be more complicated.
“Every single one of the 27 member states as well as the European parliament would have to approve the overall result. That would take at least five years, and I’m afraid, without any guarantee of success,” he said.
David Cameron yesterday suggested that a vote to leave could be followed by "a lost decade" as negotiations with the EU sucked the life out of government in Britain.
Labour rallies
With polls showing the campaign deadlocked as it enters its last full week, former Labour leader Gordon Brown will today lead a fresh push to persuade Labour voters to vote Remain.
In a speech in Leicester, he will warn that Brexit will mean a Conservative government determining policies that affect working people, without the protection afforded by the EU.
"Voting to remain is about a positive, stronger future and is the alternative to a Tory Brexit. It is stronger for jobs, for rights at work and maintaining a British voice on the world stage," he will say.
