Leaving EU will be ‘irreversible’: UK foreign secretary

Britain’s possible exit from the European Union (EU) would be an "irreversible" decision, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has warned, days before the so-called Brexit option is put up for vote.

According to Press TV, Hammond said upon arrival in Luxembourg for a meeting with his EU counterparts “The message we are trying to get across to the British people is that this is an irreversible decision -- if they decide to leave, there will be no going back.”

The foreign minister warned that in the event of a Brexit, London could only rejoin the bloc on what would be unacceptable terms.

“Britain could never rejoin the EU at a later date except on terms that would be unacceptable -- membership of the euro, membership of [the] Schengen [passport-free zone] and so on,” he said.

Britons are set to decide their country’s future in the EU via a referendum on Thursday.

The majority of recent opinion polls suggest that the Remain camp is recovering its lead over the Leave, after a weak showing over the past two weeks.

"The referendum battle... is close fought,” Hammond said. “It will be a very tight result either way.”

ME