DAVID Cameron has urged voters to "listen to the experts" about the risks to the UK of quitting the European Union as he accused pro-Brexit campaigners - including some of his Cabinet colleagues - of lying about Britain's prospects outside the EU.
In a hastily-arranged press conference in central London, the Prime Minister listed six key Vote Leave claims which he said amounted to "complete untruths".
READ MORE: Leave campaign: Foreign criminal who killed Scottish cyclist 'able to stay thanks to EU
And he accused the Brexit side of "complacency and nonchalance" about the consequences of EU withdrawal, after senior spokesmen including Justice Secretary Michael Gove suggested voters should dismiss the assessment of economic experts.
Vote Leave responded by saying the Remain campaign was now in a “blind panic”.
Mr Cameron said that warnings about the repercussions of Brexit from experts including the World Trade Organisation, the chairman of the US Federal Reserve and the Institute for Fiscal Studies amounted to a "reality check" for voters ahead of the June 23 referendum.
He highlighted a warning from Hitachi chairman Hiroaki Nakanishi, who told the Daily Mirror that international investors would "hold back" on investment in the UK during the period of uncertainty which would accompany the renegotiation of the UK's relations with the EU, at the cost of jobs.
READ MORE: Leave campaign: Foreign criminal who killed Scottish cyclist 'able to stay thanks to EU
Tonight, the PM will join Ukip leader Nigel Farage in facing a grilling from a TV audience in a live ITV referendum special, though the two men will not debate one another.
Mr Cameron rejected suggestions that his intervention was a sign of panic over polls suggesting public opinion is swinging towards a Leave vote. But he said he wanted to ensure voters did not make their decision on the basis of incorrect information.
On the final day for registration to vote in the referendum, the Conservative leader urged Britons to make sure they do not miss out on their chance to have their say in what he said would be their only chance to decide on the UK's EU membership.
In the past few days alone, he said Vote Leave had made untrue claims that Britain could be liable for future bailouts of eurozone states and could lose its rebate and its veto powers; could be forced to increase its contribution to the EU budget and be powerless to stop the creation of an EU army. And he said that Vote Leave estimates of the money that could be saved by quitting the 28-nation bloc were contradicted by "every credible economic organisation".
READ MORE: Leave campaign: Foreign criminal who killed Scottish cyclist 'able to stay thanks to EU
The PM said: "Credible experts warning about risks to our economic security on one side and a series of assertions that turn out to be completely untrue on the other.
"A Leave campaign resorting to total untruths to con people into taking a leap in the dark. It's irresponsible and it's wrong and it's time that the Leave campaign was called out on the nonsense that they are peddling."
In a message to voters about the importance of the June 23 vote, Mr Cameron said: "It matters for your job, it matters for the prices that you pay in the supermarket each week, it matters for the mortgage you pay or your chances for getting on the housing ladder, it matters for your pension, it matters for the price of your family holiday, it matters for the money that we have available to spend on your local hospital or your local school.
"And it matters for your children and your grandchildren, the kind of opportunities that they will have and the kind of country that they will grow up in.
READ MORE: Leave campaign: Foreign criminal who killed Scottish cyclist 'able to stay thanks to EU
"All of this depends on the strength of our economy and I believe - along with this collection of independent experts - that our economy is stronger inside this organisation.
"So listen to the experts. Don't stand on the sidelines. This matters for you. There are no second chances, no re-runs. So register to vote and vote Remain on June 23."
The PM’s comments came after Brexit campaigners claimed that laws from Brussels meant British judges were unable to return foreign offenders to their EU countries of origin, with Justice Minister Dominic Raab warning that UK families were less safe as a result.
Vote Leave published a dossier of 50 criminals - including Learco Chindamo, who was convicted of the 1995 murder of London headmaster Philip Lawrence - that the UK has been unable to deport.
READ MORE: Leave campaign: Foreign criminal who killed Scottish cyclist 'able to stay thanks to EU
Mr Raab said: "Free movement of people allows unelected judges in the rogue European Court to decide who we can and can't deport. This puts British families at risk.
"It squanders UK taxpayers' money on keeping them in prison - and that's on top of the £50 million we send to the EU every day."
But Immigration Minister James Brokenshire said the Prime Minister's deal with Brussels gave the UK greater control over deportation and warned that Brexit would deprive the UK of the ability to use the European Arrest Warrant.
Meanwhile, Britain Stronger In Europe warned that non-tariff barriers, such as complying with customs rules and regulations in destination countries, will cost exporters an average of almost £80,000 each.
Business Secretary Sajid Javid and former EU trade commissioner Lord Mandelson wrote to Vote Leave demanding answers about their plans for the post-Brexit economy.
They said: "The economic damage of leaving is now clear. UK businesses could face a £34 billion export tax if we leave, which would hit jobs and growth, with each exporting business facing on average £80,000 in additional costs.
"This follows evidence which shows our trade could fall by £200 billion and up to 820,000 jobs could be lost."
The pair will highlight the findings of the Remain campaign's analysis, which indicates that leaving the EU's single market would create non-tariff barriers costing UK businesses that export to the EU £34.4 billion.
Responding to Mr Cameron's comments, Ukip MP and Vote Leave campaigner Douglas Carswell said: "The In campaign is in a blind panic.
"David Cameron's renegotiation was a failure - no-one believes he got a deal worth the paper it was written on. Now people are rejecting his campaign of fear.
"The Prime Minister says we need a proper debate about the facts but he is too chicken to take on anyone from the Vote Leave campaign head-to-head.
"David Cameron and George Osborne have both admitted that they have given up our right to veto future EU treaties, that the EU has ignored us in the past over bailouts, and they know their guarantees on the renegotiation are about as trustworthy as their mate Nick Clegg's pledges on tuition fees.”
Mr Carswell added: "On June 23, the public have a choice: if they trust David Cameron and other EU politicians they should vote In. If not, they should vote Leave to take back control."
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