Roundup: Brexit campaign "one of the most dishonest ever seen": law expert

A leading legal academic specializing in European Union (EU) law said Friday untold damage has been done to the quality of Britain's democracy by the Brexit campaign in last month's referendum.

Professor Michael Dougan from the University of Liverpool Law School said that in the wake of the leave result the British government "has a constitutional responsibility to protect the national interest".

Dougan, one of Britain's most experienced lawyers on EU law, carried out an assessment of the Leave campaign prior to the June 23 national referendum, criticizing the campaign for what he described as its "industry dishonesty". He also assessed the Remain camp's claims, and has now assessed Britain's position following the vote to leave the EU.

Dougan, an advisor to the government on EU matters has spent his career studying EU law as it relates to Britain.

He repeated his criticism that the Leave campaign was "one of the most dishonest campaigns this country has ever seen", potentially resulting in "untold damage to the quality of our national democracy".

Dougan looked at Brexit allegations relating to the power held by the European Commission, the volume of law coming out of the EU, the likelihood of a European Army, Turkey's accession to the EU as well as immigration.

"Because most of the campaign was based on constitutional and legal issues it was therefore "relatively easy for a constitutional lawyer like me to investigate and evaluate the main planks of what the Leave campaign had to say," commented Dougan.

Dougan is highly critical of the actions of Vote Leave's most prominent members in the days after the vote. He said it quickly emerged that no plan was in place and their pre-referendum claims rapidly unraveled.

He also expressed concerns that Leave voters will "not get the things they were falsely promised and that this could leave them feeling "more disenfranchised, more marginalized and more angry".

Dougan concluded: "This is now a political crisis that needs a political solution. The government has a constitutional responsibility to protect the national interest, with parliament the ultimate decision-maker on whether the UK follows through and leaves the European Union."

The front pages of London's national newspapers Friday were dominated by Boris Johnson's decision not to fight in the contest to replace Prime Minister David Cameron.

The former London Mayor had been favorite to win the keys to 10 Downing Street, but he changed his mind at the last minute after his close colleague in the Leave camp, Justice Secretary Michael Gove, announced he would bid for the top job.

"Brexecuted" splashed the Sun newspaper, with a sub-heading saying "Gove Knifes Boris and bids to be leader".

"Tory Day of Treachery" headlined the Daily Mail, adding "most savage day of blood letting since fall of Thatcher as Gove knifes Boris in battle to be PM".

Most of the daily papers prominently reported on the fallout from Gove's decision to stand in the race for leadership of the Conservatives.

Formerly announcing his candidacy Friday Gove said his leadership bid was driven by conviction about what was right for the country, not personal ambition.

He pledged to cut immigration by blocking EU free movement and spend an extra 100 million pounds a week (132.70 million U.S. dollars) on the National Health Service if he wins the race to become Prime Minister in September.

With five candidates in the race for the leadership, Home Secretary Theresa May remains favorite to win. The high selling "middle England" national newspaper, the Daily Mail, announced Friday it was backing May to be Britain's next Prime Minister. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn may have to wait until next week to learn if there is to be a challenge to his leadership on the opposition benches at Westminster.

Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne said in a speech in Manchester Friday that he had abandoned his target to restore government finances to surplus by 2020, the year of the next general election. Enditem