EU referendum: Iain Duncan Smith claims David Cameron begged Barack Obama to help him 'bully Britain' over Brexit
The US President is expected to speak in support of Britain remaining in the EU later this week
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Your support makes all the difference.Iain Duncan Smith has claimed the Prime Minister went to Barack Obama “on bended knee” ask him to support the campaign to remain in the European Union.
The US President is expected to make an intervention in the referendum debate during a visit to the UK later this week.
Officials in the White House have said Mr Obama supports “a strong UK in the European Union” and he told the BBC last year that Britain’s EU membership gives his administration “much greater confidence about the strength of the transatlantic union”.
But his foray into the debate has been met with derision from Vote Leave campaigners including Boris Johnson, who accused the President of “hypocrisy”.
After giving a speech in Washington DC on Monday, Mr Duncan Smith followed the Mayor of London’s attack with claims that the US would never join an institution like the EU.
“It’s inconceivable that the president of the United States would be asking to do exactly the same for the USA as now appears to be the case, or might be the case, for him to advise the UK to do with regard the EU,” the former Work and Pensions Secretary said.
“I don’t quite understand why any American president would want Britain to be any other way - unless of course they want the US to join the EU too.”
In an interview with the Telegraph, Mr Duncan Smith claimed Mr Obama was intervening “because the Prime Minister has gone on bended knee to him and said, 'come over and help us bully the British people into making a decision'“.
His remarks came after his unexpected resignation from his post as Work and Pensions Secretary.
Mr Duncan Smith said he was unable to support proposed benefit cuts but critics said the move was calculated to distance himself from the Government’s campaign to remain in the EU.
A petition to prevent Mr Obama from giving a speech on the EU referendum during his visit to Westminster had received more than 34,000 signatures by Tuesday morning.
Responding with a statement, a spokesperson for the Government said: “It is an established convention that members of either House can invite whoever they wish and in whatever capacity, to Parliament, to discuss and speak on a wide range of issues.”
Chris Bryant, the pro-EU MP for Rhondda, accused the Leave campaign of "obsessing over process" in a response to Mr Duncan Smith's remarks.
“The leave campaigns are obsessing over process because they have no answers about the true cost of leaving Europe to British people’s finances," he said.
“Most Brits want to hear from as wide array of voices as possible. It’s only the Leave campaigns who are trying to stifle the debate, spreading ridiculous claims about conspiracies and stitch ups. They’ve lost the plot.”
Downing Street has not yet responded to The Independent’s request for a comment on Mr Duncan Smith’s remarks.
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