Obama faces backlash after Brexit warning

Dubai: US President Barack Obama came under withering attack from senior Eurosceptics furious at his warning that Britain would be at “the back of the queue” in negotiations for a US trade agreement if it left the European Union, reports said on Saturday.

They accused the “lame duck” US president of making meaningless threats and pointed out that Europe and the US had never struck a free trade agreement, British media said.

At a joint press conference with Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday, Obama said the June 23 referendum was a “decision for the people of the United Kingdom”.

He added: “I think it’s fair to say that maybe some point down the line there might be a UK-US trade agreement, but it’s not going to happen any time soon because our focus is in negotiating with a big bloc, the European Union, to get a trade agreement done.

“The UK is going to be in the back of the queue.”

Justice Minister Dominic Raab led the criticism after Obama’s speech supporting the Remain campaign. “Barack Obama was doing an old friend a political favour,” he said, referring to Cameron.

“I don’t think the British people will be blackmailed by anyone, let alone a lame duck US president on his way out.”

Ukip leader and prominent Leave campaigner Nigel Farage accused Obama of being manipulated by Number 10.

‘Shameful’

Speaking to BBC Radio Four’s Any Questions programme, Farage said: “He [Obama] said Britain would be at the back of the queue, no American would ever say ‘back of the queue’, Americans don’t use the word ‘queue’, Americans use the word ‘line’.

“Therefore, what Obama said when he said we would be at the back of the queue, he was doing the bidding of Cameron, and Number 10, and doing his best to talk down Britain, and I think that’s shameful,” Farage said.

Liam Fox, former Tory defence secretary, said Obama’s views would be irrelevant after the US presidential election.

“It will be the next president, and the next Congress, who will be in charge of any trade arrangements,” he told BBC2’s Newsnight.

Energy Minister Andrea Leadsom said: “The simple truth is that for years, the US and EU have failed to get a free trade deal organised. So the threat to the UK is meaningless from a president who has not delivered even for those who aren’t ‘at the back of the queue’.”

Chris Grayling, the leader of the House of Commons, said: “We should not give up our independence just because of what President Obama said.”