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Thursday 19 May 2016 9:33 am

EU referendum: Ryanair wants people to back Remain so much it’s offering cheaper flights home to vote on 22 and 23 June

By: James Nickerson

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Ryanair has made no secret of the fact it is one in a vast number of companies that wants the UK to remain in the EU.

But it turns out the company wants the UK to reject Brexit so desperately that it's going to be selling cheaper flights back to the UK on the 22 and 23 June so that people can vote.

Nearly 1.2m UK citizens live in the EU's other 27 countries, while over 5m Britons live abroad in total, indicating that if they could have a huge influence on the result. They're also, as you might expect, largely pro-EU and would back Remain.

Read more: What Brexit means for the mid-market

Customers can now book flights to all UK airports from just €19.99 for travel on 22 and 23 June. But they're only available until midnight tonight.

Ryanair says that it backs a Remain vote because it leads to more UK jobs and better economic growth.

It added that EU open skies has transformed UK tourism and job creation prospects, while it fears foreign inward investment in the UK will be lost to Ireland and Germany if the UK leaves Europe.

Read more: S&P warns Brexit could sap investment in UK infrastructure

The airline first added its voice to the Brexit braying in February, warning that an exit would be worse than the status quo and would leave the UK with similar cost levels and red tape.

Chief executive Michael O'Leary said:

Leaving Europe won't save the UK money or red tape because like Norway the UK will still have to contribute to Europe, and obey its rules if it wants to continue to trade freely with Europe.

We're going to bore everyone to death with this message over the next four months. A Brexit on its own won't cause airfares to rise, but it is more likely the economy of the UK will be damaged and negotiating better tax rates will be more challenging.

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