UK's Finance Minister George Osborne said Turkey would not join the European Union, rebutting one of the arguments made by campaigners who want Britain to leave the EU and who are forecasting higher migration if Turkey joins the bloc, Reuters reports.
"I don't think it's going to happen in my lifetime," Osborne told BBC television on Wednesday, ahead of Britain's EU membership referendum on June 23.
"Is it going to be a member of the European Union? No, it's not."
Campaigners seeking to get Britain out of the EU have put immigration at the center of their bid and have said Turkey joining the bloc could add to the big flows of migrants already arriving in the country.
Fears among some voters that the numbers of people coming to Britain is out of control is seen as one of the main weaknesses of the "In" camp backed by Osborne and Prime Minister David Cameron.
Opinion polls have shown the rival "In" and "Out" camps running almost neck and neck with just over two weeks to go until the referendum.
Osborne was questioned about Cameron's previous support for Turkey to join the EU. In 2010, Cameron said he would be the "strongest advocate" for Turkish membership of the bloc.