Britain goes to the polls on Thursday (June 23) to decide if the country remains in or leaves the European Union.
Britain’s celebrities have weighed in on which side they are on, expressing their views on the issue and why they will be voting “in” or “out”.
Here is a list of some celebrities and how they feel about the Brexit referendum.
REMAIN CAMP
1. Daniel Craig
James Bond actor Daniel Craig posed for a photo while wearing a white T-shirt with the words: “No man is an island. No country by itself. Vote Remain on 23rd June.”
Turner Prize-winning photographer Wolfgang Tillmans said on Instagram that the photo was sent to him by the 007 star, according to Daily Mail Online .
2. J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling is in the Remain camp and even compared the campaigners of the EU referendum to the notorious Potter villain, Lord Voldemort, news website mirror.co.uk reported.
Rowling said on her official website that “both sides of this campaign have been telling us stories” but she later expressed her preference for Britain staying in the EU: “We should be proud of our enduring desire to join together, seeking better, safer, fairer lives, for ourselves and for millions of others.”
3. Benedict Cumberbatch
English actor Benedict Cumberbatch, best known for playing Sherlock in the BBC series and for his Oscar-nominated role in The Imitation Game, is in favour of Britain remaining in the EU.
He was one of the many people from the arts who signed a letter urging for the UK to remain in Europe.
The joint letter was signed by 282 people, such as actors Jude Law, Keira Knightley and Dominic West, and was published in the Daily Telegraph.
4. Simon Cowell
X-Factor and Britain’s Got Talent mogul Simon Cowell in an interview with Mirror said it would be better for Britain to continue to be a part of the EU.
“I try to stay out of religion and politics,” he said. “But my gut feeling is I don’t think at this time – because it is a tricky time – you would want to be on your own on a tiny island.”
5. David and Victoria Beckham
Ex-footballer David Beckham said in an Instagram post: “We live in a vibrant and connected world where together as a people we are strong”, reflecting how he stood on the Brexit, according to The Telegraph.
His wife Victoria echoed his opinion: “I believe in my country, I believe in a future for my children where we are stronger together and I support the #remain campaign,” she said in an Instagram post.
6. Stephen Hawking
Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking urged British voters to support the Remain campaign.
“Gone are the days we could stand on our own, against the world,” he told ITV’s Good Morning Britain.
He added: “We need to be part of a larger group of nations, both for our security, and our trade.”
LEAVE CAMP:
1. John Cleese
Monty Python actor John Cleese showed he was all for Britain leaving the EU when he tweeted: “If I thought there was any chance of major reform in the EU, I’d vote to stay in. But there isn’t.Sad. Sorry, Paddy.”
According to news website mirror.co.uk, he also highlighted the EU’s flaws by stating that, “Britain had been swimming against the tide, but being in the EU had destroyed any trace of democratic accountability.”
2. Michael Caine
Academy Award-winning actor Michael Caine is for Britain’s exit from the EU, although he said that it would be “scary” for the country whichever way the vote went, Huffington Post reported.
Caine told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “You’ve now got in Europe a sort of government by proxy of everybody who has now got carried away and I think unless there’s some extremely significant changes we should get out.”
3. Roger Daltrey
Singer and actor Roger Daltrey, frontman of rock band The Who, expressed his pro-Brexit sentiments in an interview with UK’s newspaper, The Sun.
“The only way we’re going to get the Europe that we want is to get rid of this bunch of f***ing useless w***ers that are running it,” he declared.
4. Julian Fellowes
Julian Fellowes, creator of the TV series Downton Abbey, is a strong supporter of the Leave camp.
According to Daily Mail Online, the Oscar-winning screenwriter and director, said: “I believe we should be out. It’s about philosophy, it’s about democracy, it’s about democracy versus autocracy, all of those issues.
“It’s not just that I think they are important – because they are – but I think it’s the wrong direction,”he added.
5. Sol Campbell
Former England international footballer Sol Campbell said leaving the EU would push the British football clubs to pay more attention to grooming young British athletes.
According to The International Business Times, Campbell wrote: “We are seeing teams load up with too many mediocre overseas footballers, especially from Europe, crowding out young English and British talent.”
6. Elizabeth Hurley
English actress and model Elizabeth Hurley explained her pro-Brexit stance: “If it means we can go back to using decent lightbulbs and choose high-powered hairdryers and vacuum cleaners if we so wish, I’m joining Brexit for sure,” reported mirror.co.uk.
In a tweet on the benefits of non-membership in EU, she asked: “If we leave the EU does that mean we get our gorgeous British passports back? And don’t have to stand in the EU lines at Heathrow???”
Sources: Daily Mail Online, mirror.co.uk, Daily Telegraph, The Telegraph, Good Morning Britain, Press Association, International Business Times, Huffington Post, BBC News, The Sun
This article was first published on June 22, 2016.
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