Politics makes strange bedfellows in EU fight

Cameron and khan join forCes to Campaign against leaving

THE prime minister David Cameron put aside his recent animosity against London mayor Sadiq Khan to make a joint call on Monday (30) for Britain to stay in the European Union, as attacks from within his own party intensified.

Cameron told a campaign event in London that he and the new Labour mayor backed Britain’s eU membership because “we love our country and we want our country to be the best it possi- bly can”. it came just weeks after he ac- cused Khan during the mayoral cam- paign of repeatedly appearing with mus- lim extremists

“i’m proud to be here with the Lab our mayor of London,” said Cameron.

“He is the son of a bus driver and it makes an important point about our country – in one generation someone who is a proud muslim, a proud Brit and a proud Londoner can become mayor of the greatest city on earth.”

Last month, Labour politicians had branded Cameron racist after he told parliament he was “concerned” about Labour’s mayoral candidate who had “appeared again and again and again” on stage with “extremists”

Khan admitted there were there “many things upon which the prime minister and i will disagree,” but said “when it’s in London’s interest for the mayor of Lon- don and the government to work closely together, we will work closely together”

While Cameron was building bridges with former adversaries, dissent within his own ranks escalated, with some Tory mPs demanding he quit even if the coun- try voted to remain in the bloc at the June 23 referendum.

andrew Bridgen and nadine Dorries – both pro-Brexit and longstanding op- ponents of the prime minister – said last Sunday (29) they could stage a leader- ship coup in the event of a tight result.

Cameron also came under fire from senior pro-Brexit Tories Boris Johnson and michael Gove, who said his pledge to reduce immigration had “corroded public trust” as latest figures showed a marked increase in net migration.

Speaking on monday, the prime min- ister praised the “incredibly broad range” of support with the “remain” camp.

“it includes trade unions and business, the Labour party, the Green party, the Liberal Democrat party and a Conserva- tive government,” he said, highlighting his own party’s lack of unity. (AFP)