Investing.com – Despite the U.K. having suspended campaigning on its June 23 referendum on membership in the European Union (EU) for a second day on Friday out of respect for the death of Labour Party member Jo Cox, International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde took the opportunity of a speech in Vienna to urge Britons to vote in favor of remaining, instead of opting for a Brexit, as the decision to leave is known.
In the speech titled “Unity in Diversity: The Case for Europe”, Lagarde insisted that “Membership in the EU has made the U.K. a richer economy.”
“As in all countries, there are people who are struggling in this new environment, but for the majority of citizens, this has been a great success story,” she added.
The speech further made a broader argument for the unity of Europe, suggesting that those Europeans who were worried about their cultural identity, their security, their jobs, incomes and living standards were led to believe that things would be better only if the bloc returned to closed borders and economic nationalism.
“It is high time to confront this negative vision with a new perspective for those citizens who feel left behind”, she said, further urging “those who believe that only a united Europe can be prosperous and dynamic need to step forward and speak up.”