BBC: IMF says Brexit 'pretty bad to very, very bad'

13 May 2016

IMF's Christine Lagarde said she had "not seen anything that's positive" about Brexit and warned that it could "lead to a technical recession".

[...] The IMF said in a report on the UK economy that a leave vote could have a "negative and substantial effect". It has previously said that such an outcome could lead to "severe regional and global damage".

Ms Lagarde said the Fund had a duty to assess the risks of Brexit. It has a mandate to oversee the international monetary and financial system.

Brexit was not just a domestic issue but an international one as well, she told a briefing at the Treasury attended by the Chancellor, George Osborne. [...]

In its report, the IMF said that a Brexit vote would result in a "protracted period of heightened uncertainty" and could result in a sharp rise in interest rates.

That would cause volatility on financial markets and economic output to decline and could also erode London's status as a global financial centre, it added. [...]

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