Brexit supporters are more likely to live in areas most threatened by the economic impact of automation, according to a study of the impact of robots and artificial intelligence in the workplace. A map of the parts of the UK likely to be hit by automation fits more closely with the map of leave voters than any other factor, said the Institute for the Future of Work (IFW). Up to 15 million workers are expected to have their employment prospects endangered by automation over the next decade, according to a series of reports that have tried to gauge the impact of new technology in the workplace. In 2015, the Bank of England estimated as many as 15m jobs would need to change or be lost through automation. A report by the consultancy firm PwC found that 10m, or 30%, of jobs in Britain were potentially under threat from breakthroughs in artificial intelligence In some sectors half the jobs could go, it warned.

George Osborne has said contingency planning is taking place to anticipate the likely impact on the UK's financial stability of a vote to leave the EU. The chancellor told MPs there would be a "number of impacts" on the financial system that would have to be addressed. Economists have warned of market volatility and a sharp fall in sterling should there be a Leave vote. The chancellor said it would be up to the Bank of England to consider appropriate monetary responses. Mr Osborne, a key figure in the Remain campaign, has previously refused to be drawn on whether the Treasury and other public bodies were, in any way, preparing for the possibility of a Leave vote in the referendum on 23 June.