Gordon Brown: Britain would 'be like North Korea' if we quit the EU

The former Prime Minister says that Britain will be left out in the cold without influence and few friends if it leaves the European Union.

17:59 10 March 2015

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown said that should Britain choose to leave EU, it would “be like North Korea” – without influence and possessing few friends.

Brown wrote: “We must tell the truth about the 3m jobs, 25,000 companies, £200bn of annual exports and the £450bn of inward investment linked to Europe; and how the ‘Britzerland’ or Norwegian alternatives (even Norwegians oppose the Norwegian option) leave us subject to EU rules, but denied a vote in shaping them. And we must talk about how the Hong Kong option – ‘leaving Europe to join the world’ – is really the North Korea option, out in the cold with few friends, no influence, little new trade and even less new investment.”

Brown’s comments followed the warning issued by Open Europe thinkthank, which campaigns for a reformed EU, saying that Britain would face an uncertain future outside the EU.

Brown added that Britain has already been isolated after the current government said that it considered leaving the EU.

“Being half-in half-out, a Britain that is semi-detached and disengaged – the Britain of the empty chair even when we are in the room – has made us weaker than ever: irrelevant on Greece, fringe player on climate change, mere spectator in the debate that could have shaped a European pro-growth policy, marginal on Ukraine, with ministers sounding ludicrous as simultaneously they say: ‘Russia must be confronted with a more united Europe’, and: ’By the way, we are thinking of leaving.’”