Hollywood actor and activist Sir Ian McKellen says it doesn’t make sense for LGBTQ people to vote Brexit because “if you are gay, you’re an internationalist.” RT looks at all the latest in the EU referendum race.
In an interview with the Telegraph, the prominent gay rights campaigner cited the EU’s strong equality legislation and its determination to stamp out homophobia as a key reason for remaining in the bloc.
McKellen, who won the appeal of a whole new generation of cinema-goers by playing Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, said it is time to back the EU.
“Now is the time to be backing Europe and giving back that sense of empowerment to countries in the European Union that are still very backward in this regard.
“If I were to look at ‘in’ or ‘out’ from that point of view, there’s only one point, which is to stay. If you’re a gay person, you’re an internationalist.
“I don’t want us to retract. I don’t want to and I won’t, whatever the vote happens to be. It wouldn’t be the end of the world, but it’s nearly the end of my life. And it’s up to the youngsters to decide, really,” he added.
Anti-Brexit porno scrapped last minute
A pro-EU group came close to filming a bizarre spoof porn film, which was going to feature a couple having sex while the man stares at a picture of Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The male actor was then going to ask his partner: “Am I in?” to which she responds: “Yes baby!”
According to the Sun, the purpose of the X-rated film was to get visitors to two pornography sites to think about the referendum.
The porn script was allegedly written by a group funded by Lord David Sainsbury and former Marks & Spencer chief Lord Rose.
Labour MP defects to Leave camp
John Mann MP came out in support of the Leave campaign on Friday, arguing the EU’s open migration policy has hit working class communities hardest.
In an open letter published in the Sun, the MP for Bassetlaw said the EU’s obsession with freedom of movement was “undermining pay and conditions in working class communities.”
He added too few Labour politicians are in favor of leaving the EU and that the bloc is “fundamentally anti-democratic.”
“People want control over their own lives. They don’t want people at a distance controlling their lives anymore.”
Security minister backs Brexit
Tory minister John Hayes says the UK would be in a better position to fight international terrorists, including Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), if it leaves the EU.
Hayes said he would vote Leave because the EU is “too rigid” to deal with the “pan-national terrorist threat.”
Writing in the Telegraph, he said Britain acting alone would be able to combat terrorism “at a more global level than most, for example through the Five Eyes intelligence sharing arrangement with the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.”
His comments threaten to undermine Cameron and Home Secretary Theresa May, who have both claimed intelligence sharing within the EU is vital to keeping the country safe.