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US warns of global economic woes over Brexit

US Secretary of the Treasury Jacob Lew speaks during the Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government on Capitol Hill March 8, 2016 in Washington, DC. (AFP)

The United States has warned about global economic aftershocks in the aftermath of a possible UK exit from the European Union (EU).

US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew warned Tuesday that if Britain exits the EU, it will have a negative impact on the British, European and world economies.

Britons are set to vote in a crucial referendum on June 23 to decide whether to back a so-called Brexit - or exit from the European bloc.

The consequences of a Brexit - in terms of the flow of trade and economic relationships - would have far-reaching repercussions, Lew said on public television PBS.

"I don't think it's good for the European, or the British economy, or the global economy," he said, adding, "And in a world where one of the things that drives the economy is the uncertainty of geopolitical risks...

"It is clear that when you increase the level of unease, it has an economic consequence."

This is while Britain's business community remains divided over Brexit.

With less than four months until the Brexit vote, the UK car industry has backed the remain-campaign. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) says three-quarters of its members support staying in the EU.

A survey conducted by independent pollster ComRes for the SMMT found the vast majority of car firms as saying that Brexit would have a negative impact on them. Just nine percent argued that leaving would be the best option, while 14 percent were uncertain.

Yet, anti-EU groups are urging Britons to vote to leave.

Recent opinion polls so far have also suggested that British voters remain sharply divided on the matter.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron is leading the campaign to keep the country in the EU, but faces an uphill battle as many politicians, even from his own Conservative Party, are struggling against the bid.


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