The head of the global economic forum OECD warned Britain that leaving the European Union would be tantamount to taxing its citizens - another in a growing cavalcade of cautionary advice ahead of a June 23 referendum on membership in the 28-nation bloc.

The warning by Angel Gurria, the secretary-general of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, came just days after expressions of concern by US President Barack Obama, the UK Treasury and the International Monetary Fund.

He described the notion that Britain might gain a better trade deal outside the union as somewhat fanciful.

Gurria's assessment follows that made by the UK Treasury last week, which determined that leaving the European Union would cost Britain the equivalent of 6,100 US dollars per household.

The estimate was based on an analysis of the long-term costs and benefits of EU membership and its alternatives.

The ever-more dire OECD judgment came the same day that authorities reported Britain's economy slowed in the first three months of the year amid concerns about the global economy as well as the vote on EU membership.

The UK economy grew by a quarter-on-quarter rate of 0.4 percent in January-March, down from 0.6 percent in the fourth quarter of last year, the Office for National Statistics said Wednesday.

Services, which comprise 78 percent of the British economy, continued to grow, expanding by 0.6 percent.

But other sectors declined, including construction, mining and manufacturing.

The head of the global economic forum OECD warned Britain that leaving the European Union would be tantamount to taxing its citizens - another in a growing cavalcade of cautionary advice ahead of a June 23 referendum on membership in the 28-nation bloc.

The warning by Angel Gurria, the secretary-general of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, came just days after expressions of concern by US President Barack Obama, the UK Treasury and the International Monetary Fund.

He described the notion that Britain might gain a better trade deal outside the union as somewhat fanciful.

Gurria's assessment follows that made by the UK Treasury last week, which determined that leaving the European Union would cost Britain the equivalent of 6,100 US dollars per household.

The estimate was based on an analysis of the long-term costs and benefits of EU membership and its alternatives.

The ever-more dire OECD judgment came the same day that authorities reported Britain's economy slowed in the first three months of the year amid concerns about the global economy as well as the vote on EU membership.

The UK economy grew by a quarter-on-quarter rate of 0.4 percent in January-March, down from 0.6 percent in the fourth quarter of last year, the Office for National Statistics said Wednesday.

Services, which comprise 78 percent of the British economy, continued to grow, expanding by 0.6 percent.

But other sectors declined, including construction, mining and manufacturing.

London - 27 April 2016

1. Wide of Angel Gurria, Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) speaking on stage at the Old Theatre, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

2. Man taking photos

3. Close of audience

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Angel Gurria, Secretary-General, OECD:

"Brexit would, rather like a tax, hit the wellbeing and the pockets of UK citizens. Unlike most taxes, however, this one will not finance the provision of public services or close the fiscal gap. The 'Brexit tax' would be a pure deadweight loss - a cost incurred with no economic benefit. And this tax would not be a one-off levy. Britons would be paying it for many years."

5. Cutaway of audience

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Angel Gurria, Secretary-General, OECD:

"We estimate that in a Brexit scenario, GDP per household in 2030 would be lower than the baseline, that means staying, by at least 3,200 pounds and up to 5,000 pounds in the most pessimistic case."

7. Various of audience

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Angel Gurria, Secretary-General, OECD:

"While no one knows precisely what the costs would be, what is striking about our estimates and those produced by the other institutions, is that all the numbers under a Brexit case are negative. The best outcome under Brexit is still worse than remaining. And the worst outcomes are very bad indeed. Very expensive. The Brexit tax just gets bigger."

9. Wide of stage

10. Cutaway of economist Professor Lord Stern listening on stage

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Angel Gurria, Secretary-General, OECD:

"Our conclusion is unequivocal. The UK is much stronger as a part of Europe and Europe is much stronger with the UK as a driving force. There is no upside for the UK in Brexit. Only costs that can be avoided and advantages to be seized by remaining in Europe. No one should have to pay the Brexit tax."

12. Close of audience

13. Wide of stage

Opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said Prime Minister Theresa May's speech appeared to suggest that if a deal with the European Union didn't work Britain would move to become a low tax, "bargain basement economy on the offshores of Europe."

Corbyn said May needed to be clearer on her objectives.

In her speech May said Britain will leave the EU's single market - but will "seek greatest possible access to it" - as it exits the trade bloc.

May says her plans for Brexit cannot allow the U.K. to remain in the single market of the bloc because that would mean "not leaving the EU at all."

May said she wanted Britain to be part of a customs union agreement with the other EU states, and remove as many trade barriers as possible. She did not provide details, but said she had an "open mind" on how to do it.

Corbyn said "she seems to be wanting to have her cake and eat it."

The Labour leader said he would soon be setting out the party's idea of future relationships with Europe "but also our ideas about future trading relationships with the rest of the world."

UK POOL

London - 17 January 2017

1. SOUNDBITE: (English) Jeremy Corbyn, Opposition Labour Party leader:

"Throughout the speech there seemed to be an implied threat that somewhere along the line if all her optimism of a deal with the European Union didn't work, we would move into a low tax, corporate taxation, bargain basement economy on the offshores of Europe, and I think she needs to be a bit clearer about what the long-term objectives are."

++BLACK++

Question off camera: (English) Will you vote for Britain to leave the single market?

2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Jeremy Corbyn, Opposition Labour Party leader:

"We have said all along that we will not block Article 50 coming in and that's going to be very soon within Parliament. We will be putting a case for market access to Europe, we'll be putting a case for regulation of labour market and all the issues that go with that, we'll be putting a very strong case to the British people and to Parliament. This is two years away and it's quite nice that at last we've got confirmation that 27 member state parliaments will get a vote, including ours, and of course the European parliament also gets a vote on this."

Question off camera: Specifically on leaving the single market, that is something that you will now accept will happen?

3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Jeremy Corbyn, Opposition Labour Party leader:

"She has said that leave the single market and at the same time says she wants to have access to the single market. I'm not quite sure how that's going to go down in Europe. I think we have to have a deal that ensures that we have access to the market, we have British jobs dependant on that market, that's what we'll be pushing for. Whether it's specifically this form of single market I don't know. She seems to be wanting to have her cake and eat it."

++BLACK++

4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Jeremy Corbyn, Opposition Labour Party leader:

"Well she concedes that herself, she concedes that we depend a great deal on the people who have come to work in this country and also she makes the correct point which indeed Parliament has already voted on, that EU nationals living in Britain should be allowed to remain here just as much as British nationals of which there are probably 1.5 million living across Europe are able to continue living there. So there's going to have to be a close relationship with Europe in the future. We're going to hold them to account on all of this because I think there are enormous dangers in this and when she talks about future trade arrangements, all she said was that Donald Trump said we'd be first in the queue. First in the queue? For an investor protection type trade treaty? I don't know exactly what she has in mind in that."

++BLACK++

5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Jeremy Corbyn, Opposition Labour Party leader:

"Well be obviously responding to the statement in Parliament today, Keir Starmer (shadow Brexit Secretary) will be doing that, Emily (Thornberry, shadow Foreign Secretary) and Keir have been making the point all along that there has to be proper parliamentary scrutiny of that. We will be doing all of that and of course when the major debate comes up, which I hope will be very soon, we'll be setting out our idea of future relationships with Europe but also our ideas about future trading relationships with the rest of the world. We want to ensure that jobs and markets are protected in this country, we want to ensure that British manufacturing industry has a chance to export. She makes all these optimistic statements, every economic indicator in Britain is going in the wrong direction at the present time."

++ENDS ON SOUNDBITE++

RESTRICTION SUMMARY: AP CLIENTS ONLY

SHOTLIST:

++CLIENTS NOTE: PLEASE IGNORE EDIT SENT EARLIER AND REPLACE WITH THIS ONE WHICH ADDS MISSING FRAMES AT THE BEGINNING++

UK POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY

London - 20 April 2017

1. SOUNDBITE: (English) Jeremy Corbyn, Labour leader:

"We are 47 hours into the election campaign. The dividing lines in this election could not be clearer from the outset. It's the Conservatives, the party of privilege and the richest, versus the Labour Party. The Labour Party that's standing up for working people, to improve the lives of all. It's the establishment versus the people. It's our historic duty to make sure the people prevail."

++BLACK FRAMES++

2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Jeremy Corbyn, Labour leader:

"Much of the media and the establishment are saying this election is a foregone conclusion. They think there are rules in politics which, if you don't follow by doffing your cap to the powerful people, accepting that things can't really change, then you can't win. But of course, they do not want us to win, because when we win it is the people, not the powerful, who win."

++BLACK FRAMES++

3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Jeremy Corbyn, Labour leader:

"That is why we, yes we, will prove the establishment experts wrong and change the direction of this election. Because the British people know that they are the true wealth creators, held back by a system rigged for the wealth extractors. Theresa May will insist that this is an election about Brexit. She will try to downplay the issues that affect people's lives every day and instead turn the election into an ego-trip about her own failing leadership and the machinations of the coming negotiations in Brussels. It is only Labour that will focus on what kind of country we want to have after Brexit. In the coming weeks, Labour will lay out our policies to unlock opportunities for every single person in this country."

++BLACK FRAMES++

4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Jeremy Corbyn, Labour leader:

"The European Union negotiations are going on and we've set out our lines on negotiations. Primarily, it is about gaining and retaining tariff-free access to the European Market. We haven't threatened to turn Britain into an off-shore tax haven on the shores of Europe to undermine every European economy. We've said instead we want to work with them to have an agreed process by which we continue to trade with Europe. Because walking away and trading under World Trade Organisation conditions will mean that manufacturing industry in this country will be severely damaged. Every manufacturing enterprise in this country relies on imported materials from Europe or sales to Europe, and in some cases in complicated productions, the parts cross the channel several times as they're being fabricated, in the aircraft industry and others. It is an integrated and complicated production process. The idea that you can simply approach these negotiations by threatening to set up a tax haven and 'hell take the hindmost' to the rest of the people is simply not a sensible way of negotiating."

5. Corbyn leaving, supporters standing up to clap

STORYLINE:

Facing steep odds and low popularity ratings, Britain's main opposition leader launched his election campaign on Thursday, painting himself as a populist outsider who will overturn a "rigged" political and economic system.

Labour Party chief Jeremy Corbyn said the June 8 election pitted "the establishment vs. the people" and insisted the result is not a foregone conclusion.

Labour trails a long way behind Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservatives in opinion polls, and many within the party believe 67-year-old socialist Corbyn is too left-wing to connect with voters.

In his first major speech of the campaign, Corbyn told supporters and journalists in London that May will make the election about Brexit and her "failing leadership", whereas the Labour Party will use the opportunity to "unlock opportunities for every single person in this country".

Addressing Brexit negotiations, Corbyn emphasised that the Labour Party's objective is not to create an "off-shore tax haven" out of Britain, but instead to work with European countries in order to arrive at a mutually beneficial trade agreement.

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