Obama backs Cameron push for Britain to stay in European Union

US President Barack Obama has urged the UK to stay in the EU as the 28-member states union “continue to have influence on the world stage”.

Obama praised UK for its willingness to do so much more than what benefits the immediate interests of their nation, making the world a safer and more orderly place to be in.

The EU has “made the world safer and more prosperous”, and having Britain in it was crucial for America’s “transatlantic union” both with Britain and the rest of Europe, he said.

A referendum on whether to remain in the EU will be held by the end of 2017 under David Cameron’s plans to renegotiate the terms of the UK’s membership before putting that new deal to the public.

With 18 months left in office, Mr Obama expressed frustration at his inability to take action on gun control in the wake of a series of shootings in the USA.

In an interview with the BBC, Obama lamented the fact Congress refused to tighten gun laws “even in the face of repeated mass killings”.

He said: “If you look at the number of Americans killed since 9/11 by terrorism, it’s less than 100”.

Mr Obama was speaking to the BBC at the White House before departing for Kenya. “If you look at the number that have been killed by gun violence, it’s in the tens of thousands”, he said during his interview.

And party spokesman Gawain Towler commented: “So Obama’s method is, ladle on the flattery, then try and get them to do something that suits him, rather than us”.

After nine African-American churchgoers were killed in South Carolina in June, he admitted “politics in this town” meant there were few options available.

On race relations, Mr Obama said recent concerns around policing and mass incarcerations were “legitimate and deserve intense attention” but insisted progress had been made.

“There are going to be tensions that arise”.

“There was never a promise that race relations in America would be entirely resolved during my presidency or anybody’s presidency”.