The most regular attack-line used against leading Brexiteers is that they misled the public over how much money could be used to fund the NHS if Britain left the EU. Throughout the referendum campaign, Vote Leave said that we send £350 million a week to Brussels – a gross figure, applied before a rebate etc. But no one knew the real 2016 figure because the data is compiled in arrears. Only today do we have the data, published by the Office for National Statistics. Its figures show…
- Payment to Brussels, net of rebate and money returned to the UK: £9.4 billion a year, or £181 million a week.
- Payment to Brussels, net of rebate: £13.9 billion a year, or £267 million a week.
- Gross payment to Brussels: £18.9 billion a year, or £363 million a week.
As far as the average voter is concerned, £181 million and £350 million both sound like a lot of money.
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