That the United States was not indifferent to Britain’s position in Europe was the message that President Obama came to London to deliver in person on April 22, 2016. He made his visit at Cameron’s personal request. Obama was hugely popular with the UK public and he did not hold back. In the BBC’s words, the American president delivered a “full on, no-holds-barred effort to persuade Britain to stay in the EU.” The special relationship, World War II and the challenges of the present all demanded that the UK remain an integral part of Europe.43 Obama understood that it might be sensitive for an
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