Ex-chancellor calls for UK exit from EU

Former British chancellor of the exchequer Nigel Lawson has called for the UK to leave the European Union, saying it is no longer in the country’s economic interest to remain in the bloc.

Mr Lawson said he would vote for Britain’s exit in a referendum that may be held in 2017, arguing that the costs of remaining part of the union outweigh the transitional costs of leaving.

Responding, Liberal Democrat deputy prime minister Nick Clegg said the former chancellor was rehearsing arguments that are part of an “anguished debate” in the Conservative Party.