David Cameron has suggested Islamic State would be happy if the UK votes to leave the European Union on June 23th.
Answering questions after delivering a myth-busting speech on the EU referendum at Mansion House in the City of London, the British prime minister posed a rhetorical question asking "who would be happy" if the nation does vote for Brexit.
He then said Russian president Vladimir Putin would welcome such an outcome, before adding that "I suspect al-Baghdadi" would, too.
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is the leader of the terror group also known as Isis and Daesh.
Mr Cameron said: “It is worth asking the question: Who would be happy if we left? Putin might be happy, I suspect al-Baghdadi might be happy.
"Our friends around the world are giving us a very clear message, they are saying 'it's all up to you, it is your sovereign choice'. "But our friends in Australia and New Zealand and America and all around the world and all round Europe, they are saying 'it's all up to you, its all your choice, but we would like you to stay, we think it's good for us and it's good for you'."
Both sides of the referendum campaign have been criticised by the other for apparent scaremongering. But today marks the first time that Mr Cameron has explicitly cited Isis as a reason for voting to Remain.
Mr Cameron also faced questions following his speech regarding the EU's deal with Turkey which has been criticised by former spy chief Sir Richard Dearlove. But he rejected the idea that the deal is dangerous.
He said: "No it isn't. What the deal did was that there were tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of people leaving Turkey, paying people smugglers, getting into boats, arriving in Greece and therefore being given the right to settle as asylum seekers or refugees in Europe.
“I said repeatedly to my colleagues in Europe, ‘look, we’re not in your no borders zone, we are going to maintain our border, if you let these people in that doesn’t mean they are going to be able to come to Britain, so in some ways this is not my business but my very strong advice is that you need to have a policy where people who arrive in Europe can immediately be sent back to Turkey’.
“Why? Because you have got to break the model of the people smugglers.
“As long as they can make that trip the people smugglers go on having a business.
“Once you send them back and say ‘Turkey is a safe country, we can examine your claim for asylum or refuge there in Turkey’, once you do that you break the model of the people smugglers.”
Mr Cameron said the deal with Turkey represents the “best of both worlds”. “We are not in the no border zone so these people don’t have a right to come to Britain,” he said.
“We are taking our refugees directly from the camps rather than from other European countries. “But we had an influence on trying to help Europe towards getting to the right decision.” – (PA)