Ahead of a June 23 referendum on European Union membership, many of London's leading lights are deeply worried about its future. Since almost exactly 30 years ago, when Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher liberalised finance through a package of reforms so dramatic it was dubbed the Big Bang, London has become the undisputed financial capital of a united Europe - a status that now hangs in the balance.
Eddie Izzard, one of Britain's most famous comedians, is on a manic, multi-city tour to save the United Kingdom from becoming an isolationist state.
But he began a recent debate with charm and bonhomie, encouraging everyone to vote in the European Union referendum on Thursday, regardless of their views.
"I'mtrying to encourage people to vote 'Remain' on the 23rd, but if you vote 'Leave', fine," said Izzard, speaking to a packed lecture at the University of Portsmouth. "But I would say to the 'Leave' voters that the voting is on the 24th."
The generational divide is a major fault line in the EU referendum, with young people more pro-EU than their elderly counterparts. Campaigning was temporarily suspended in the wake of the shooting of British lawmaker Jo Cox on Friday. But as it resumes, campaigners will be seeking to energise their bases, with opinion polls showing that the contest is neck and neck.
This is a particular challenge for those rallying young voters, including Izzard - when asked by the Washington Post why millennials should listen to a 54-year-old comedian, he laughed: "I don't know. But I do rather act in a young way. I'm 22 in my head."
A recent YouGov poll found that those between 18 and 24 were the least likely to vote, with only 51 per cent saying they were absolutely certain they would cast a ballot.
Youth turnout has long been a problem in Britain, and there are fears that it could be exacerbated because the referendum date clashes with football's European Championship in France, as well as Glastonbury, a five-day music festival that attracts more than 170,000 people.
"EU ref vote being tactically dated around the same time as Glastonbury and the Euro Cup? This country is being run by snakes," a graphics design student tweeted.
Political apathy has the potential to hurt the "Remain" side the most, with polls showing that younger voters are the most pro-EU of any age group.
Percy de Vries, a 20-year-old student campaigning with Students for Europe, said he is pro-EU because the bloc offers him the opportunity to work, travel and study in 28 countries. "That resonates quite well with a lot of students," he said.
Eddie Izzard is one of many British artists who want Britain to remain a part of the EU. Photo / Supplied
Older people are less enthused about the European project. People 65 and older are the most likely to vote to leave the EU, a position also known as "Brexit", which says that leaving would allow Britain to dramatically curb immigration.
David Banks, organiser for Veterans for Britain, said that older people are more pro-Brexit partly because "they want their independence back", and partly because they have had a longer time reading negative headlines about the EU from the British press, which is largely Eurosceptic.
For instance, when the EU received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2012 for ushering in an era of peace and democracy on a previously war-torn continent, there was bemusement across Europe - but the British press was particularly critical. "EU have got to be joking!" was a headline in the Sun, Britain's best-selling newspaper.
Older people are also the most motivated to vote. In the YouGov poll, 81 per cent of those 65 and older said they were certain to cast a ballot.
The Brexit supporters "tend to hold stronger opinions", said Will Jennings, a politics professor at the University of Southampton.
He added that unlike the Scottish independence referendum in 2014, where a turnout of 85 per cent broke records, people are not as engaged with this referendum.
But there are several efforts under way to drive more people to the polls. Bite the Ballot, a nonpartisan charity that encourages young people to vote, has joined Starbucks, Uber, Tinder and other businesses in an effort to boost turnout. In its partnership with Uber, a screen pops up urging users of the ride-hailing app to register while they wait for their car. Users of the dating app Tinder have been greeted with "fact or fiction" quizzes on Britain's relationship with the EU.
Michael Sani, the charity's founder, said it is more difficult to get young people to vote in Britain than in the United States "because the US fought for the freedom it has today, it almost wrestled for its flag and the Constitution, and you see kids in kindergartens reciting their forefathers. Here we don't have that, and I think because we never had to fight for it, it's taken for granted. It's no one's fault, but we need a solution."
Tom Harwood, a 19-year-old who chairs a group called Students for Britain, agreed that it is an uphill battle to get young people interested.
"The overwhelming response from students is apathy. One, they don't feel they know enough, and two, they don't really care," he said.
To help strike up conversations on campuses, his supporters are handing out beer nuts and condoms with pro-Brexit slogans such as "Vote Leave: the safer choice."
Izzard, a self-described "British European", said he wanted to make the positive case for Europe. During his speech at the university, he asked everyone to switch on their smartphones and search for photos of European cities.
The students obliged, flicking through pictures of Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Prague.
"This seems to get lost in the argument ... all of these amazing places you can go to on low-cost flights," he said. "We have a beautiful continent. It's our continent, it is all of ours."
