As he puts it, the playbook is: “Provoke fact-checkers into dissecting the numbers, provoke interviewers into challenging campaigners on the numbers. A new study by King’s College London of attitudes to Brexit found that 42 per cent of people who had heard of the claim still believe it is true, while just 36 per cent thought it was false and 22 per cent were unsure. Quite apart from the post-referendum admission by prominent leave campaigners that the amount promised was always a bit of a porky, the negotiations around EU budget contributions could be far … Regardless though of that the UK has increased funding to the NHS … ", Meanwhile, Eloise Todd, from the anti-Brexit campaign Best For Britain, said: "This is a yet another untruth from Boris, a man who has become so obsessed with the lie he slapped on the side of the bus.". Mr Johnson said he believed the result of any second vote would be "pretty much the same" or a heavier victory for Leave. A campaign bus used by Vote Leave, including Mr Johnson himself, during the referendum campaign was emblazoned with the slogan: "We send the EU £350 million a week - let's fund our NHS instead.". The Prime Minister visited the Queen to ask for the dissolution of Parliament signalling the official start to the general election campaign, An arrangement of British daily newspapers showing front page stories about the exit poll results of the snap general election. The slogan was then put on the side of the official Vote Leave campaign bus. The Speaker said a further ‘meaningful vote’ would be ruled out of order if the motion was “the same or substantially the same’ – under an ancient convention to stop the government bullying parliament on issues MPs have rejected, The prime minister wrote to Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, to ask for a three-month extension to give her more time to try to get her deal through parliament. 1. VideoWhy Hunger Games salute is Asia's latest protest symbol, 'We're the government and we know what you're doing', The ancient town built with 72,000 tonnes of diamonds, Zaghari-Ratcliffe released but faces new court date1, Disney's new heroine representing 600 million people2, Pastor on leave after Melania 'trophy wife' sermon3, Who truly was the most dishonest president?4, Ikea boss warns tariffs will lead to higher prices5, China says Uighur genocide claims 'absurd'6, Party official dies in custody in Myanmar7, How a ring tells the story of a forgotten secret agent8, Pope prays amid ruins of churches in northern Iraq9, Who's in the UK Royal Family and how does it work?10. "We grossly underestimated the sum," Johnson told The Guardian. The 350 million pound ($482 million) figure was a central and controversial part of the pro-Leave campaign’s “Take back control” message in the runup to the 2016 referendum. It doesn't take account of the country's rebate of £75m a week which means that the true amount leaving the Treasury's coffers is significantly lower. The figure also fails to take into account the contribution to the treasury of trade and business that would not have happened without the EU single market. Boosters in the Pennsylvania county hoped that the opportunity zones that blanket Erie’s downtown would begin to draw private investment. Reid: The 350 million pounds a week that we send to the EU, which we will no longer send to the EU, can you guarantee that’s going to go to the NHS? Want an ad-free experience?Subscribe to Independent Premium. She accepted the offer of a delay until May 22 if her withdrawal deal is approved by Parliament. Who's in the UK Royal Family and how does it work? £350 million is roughly what we would send to the EU … The claim that the UK paid £350 million per week to the European Union – which was emblazoned on the Leave campaign’s battlebus – was wildly overestimated, according to … However, the foreign secretary rejected the idea, saying the first referendum had caused "an awful lot of heartache and soul-searching". Boris Johnson. by researchsnappy. While former Conservative leader Michael Howard claimed that Theresa May would be prepared to go to war to protect the territory. It’s the one that Boris Johnson and other Brexit campaigners toured the UK in, successfully selling the lie that leaving the EU would divert £350 million to the NHS. “But it’s a very clear sign of how difficult it will be to bring the country together – the fact that different groups see the same realities so differently shows how divided we are.”. "What I do know is that this is not going to be additional funds that will go to the NHS - and that was an important part of the trick that was played on the British people," she told the BBC's Daily Politics. The pound fell sharply amid fears the Conservative leader would be unable to form a government, Britain’s opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn gives a tumbs up as he arrives at Labour headquarters in central London on 9 June 2017 after the snap general election results showed a hung parliament with Labour gains and the Conservatives losing their majority, Brexit Minister David Davis and European Commission member in charge of Brexit negotiations Michel Barnier address a press conference at the end of the first day of Brexit negotiations in Brussels on 19 June 2017, British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks on 22 September 2017, in Florence. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Easily add text to images or memes. Advertisement Farage: No I can’t. A campaign bus used by Vote Leave, including Mr Johnson himself, during the referendum campaign was emblazoned with the slogan: "We send the EU £350 million a week - let's fund our NHS instead." The year after the referendum Boris Johnson, then foreign secretary, revived the claim in a newspaper article stating: “Once we have settled our accounts, we will take back control of roughly £350m per week. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/boris-350million-week-nhs-bus-18789210 igel Farage stated that the Leave campaign’s pledge to spend an extra £350 million a week on the NHS was a ‘mistake’. Ms May's whips applied pressure on Conservative rebels who remained defiant in the Commons throughout the day and in the end the Government was defeated by 309 votes to 305, Britain's Prime minister Theresa May arrives to attend the first day of a European union summit in Brussels on 14 December 2017. This is wrong. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. For new readers, suffice it to say: our net contribution to the EU budgetis more like £234 million a week. Nearly a third (32 per cent) of Conservative Remain voters also thought the message, which was mostly fronted by Tory politicians like Boris Johnson, was correct – 67 per cent of all voters had heard of the claim. She stated that “throughout this process, I have treated the EU with nothing but respect. Thirty nine per cent of the public and 53 per cent of Leave supporters believe that European immigration has decreased the quality of healthcare in the UK, despite evidence from the official report showing this was not the case, and that a shortage of EU healthcare workers is actually increasing challenges for the NHS. Who truly was the most dishonest president? Charlie Brooker takes savage swipe at Boris Johnson as he compares Brexit battle bus vow of £350million a week for the NHS to Colonel Tom Moore Tilly Pearce Thursday 14 May 2020 9:10 pm A similar message was emblazoned on the camp's bus: "We send the EU £350 million a week - let's fund our NHS instead." Erie County Begins Its Awakening. Standing in the House of Commons, the prime minister attacked Labour for refusing to vote for a general election and instead supporting a delay to Brexit. This money, it said, would be better spent in the NHS. And Ms Soubry, a pro-EU ex-minister who has rebelled against the government several times over Brexit, said she was "surprised and disappointed" the foreign secretary had chosen to resurrect the claims. The European Council president launched the scathing attack as he accused anti-EU campaigners of pushing for Brexit “without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely.” Mr Tusk also dismissed suggestions that the EU could reopen negotiations over the controversial Northern Ireland backstop, dealing a blow to Theresa May‘s hopes of securing fresh concessions as she tries to get her exit deal through parliament. Speaking in Brussels alongside Irish taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Mr Tusk said: “I’ve been wondering what a special place in hell looks like for people who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely.” He also tweeted the accusation moments later, Both have agreed to restart Brexit talks to find “a way through” the deadlock in Westminster, following a visit by Theresa May to Brussels. In the run-up to the plebiscite in 2016 the public were split along similar lines as they are now, with 47 per cent believing the stat and 39 per cent against it. Johnson and stats chief in £350m Brexit row, Reality Check: Boris's £350m a week claim, US Senate passes $1.9tn Covid-19 relief plan. The EU spoke about Brexit and announced that insufficient progress had been made, DUP Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds walks off after speaking to members of the media as a protester holding flags shouts after him outside the Houses of Parliament on 5 December 2017. He told the Guardian the UK's contribution was already £362m a week and would rise to £438m by the end of the post-Brexit transition period. British Prime Minister Theresa May faced pressure to resign on 9 June 2017 after losing her parliamentary majority, plunging the country into uncertainty as Brexit talks loomed. ", As the People's Vote campaign and The Independent's Final Say campaign gain traction, 700,000 people turn out in London to demand a final say on the UK's Brexit deal on October 20 2018, As the Prime Minister settles on a Brexit deal, Brexit secretary Dominic Raab resigns along with Work and Pensions secretary Esther McVey and many other ministers, People's Vote supporting MPs Chukka Umunna, Justine Greening and Caroline Lucas and The Independent editor Christian Broughton deliver over a million signatures in favour of a People's Vote to the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street on December 3 2018, On December 10, the Prime Minister delayed the vote on her Brexit deal as it was near certain not to pass through the Commons due to Tory rebels and lack of DUP support, Tory MPs triggered a confidence vote in the Prime Minister on December 12. Read about our approach to external linking. The £350m figure was emblazoned on the campaign bus used by Vote Leave during the referendum, with the slogan: “We send the EU £350 million a week, let’s fund our NHS instead.” Nigel Farage, Daniel Hannan, Priti Patel and Vote Leave are just some of the people and organisations that have spouted these inaccurate figures.. Until now, they have been able to hide behind Full Fact, the fact-checking website. Boris Johnson defends the Leave Campaign's contentious claim that Brexit will create an extra £350 million a week to spend on the NHS. Spain's foreign minister stepped in only to assert that there was no need for the dispute, Soon after triggering Article 50, Theresa May called on 18 April 2017 for a snap general election. The official Vote Leave campaign put the claim on the side of a big red bus and ran it in targeted internet adverts aimed at swing voters, turning the Brexit vote into a referendum on austerity. Boris Johnson court case THROWN OUT after attempt to prosecute over 'NHS Brexit lies' BORIS JOHNSON will not be prosecuted over his Brexit campaign claim that the UK sends £350 million … In a deeply ironic twist the NHS now has just £350 million to ... but it was on the Battle Bus.” But instead the money has been diverted to transitioning Britain out of the Union. Johnson was pictured standing in front of the bus which had the slogan "we send the EU £350 million a week, let's fund our NHS instead" emblazoned on the side. It was often claimed during the referendum that the UK “sends” £350 million a week to Brussels, and that this sum of money could be spent on other things like the NHS if we left the EU. Tory MP Anna Soubry said Mr Johnson had to "man up" and stop "conning people". Just 33 per cent of Labour voters, 22 per cent of Lib Dem voters and 23 per cent of Remain voters thought it was true. This is wrong. It was widely criticised because £350m per week is an approximate sum for the UK's "gross contribution" to Brussels. Boris Johnson has said the Brexit campaign's highly controversial claim that leaving the European Union would mean Britain gets £350 million extra a week to spend on the NHS was an underestimate. In 2016 the UK Statistics Authority described the £350 million claim as "potentially misleading" as it didn't take into account the rebate which is applied before Britain pays its contributions to the European Union. May and Macron agreed a new border security deal, through which the UK will pay more to France to stop migrants trying to reach British shores on 18 January 2018, The UK and EU agree terms for Brexit transition period on 19 March, 2018, The EU and UK however failed to reach an agreement on the Irish border during the successful talks on other Brexit issues, For months after the March deal is struck there is little significant progress in talks. But the EU again refused to reopen the withdrawal agreement and its controversial backstop – with any negotiations expected to focus on the future relationship between the UK and EU instead, MPs voted down May's Brext plans, with a majority of 45. Brexit. 7. Video, Why Hunger Games salute is Asia's latest protest symbol, Pastor on leave after Melania 'trophy wife' sermon, Ikea boss warns tariffs will lead to higher prices, China says Uighur genocide claims 'absurd', Party official dies in custody in Myanmar, He told the Guardian the UK's contribution was already £362m a week. Despite repeating the pro-Brexit mantra of “no deal is better than a bad deal”, the Prime Minister claimed she wanted a “tone of trust” between the negotiators and said Britain was leaving the EU but not Europe. The major spending package is expected to be given final approval in the House next week. '£350m NHS Brexit bus' pull away during Vote Leave campaign ... of Stafford in Market Square during the Vote Leave Brexit Battle Bus tour on 17 May 2016. Make a Meme Make a GIF Make a Chart Make a Demotivational Flip Through Images. The Famous £350 Million. The words on the bus actually said “We send the EU £350 million a week. A good relationship at the end of this process depends on it.