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Topic: Re:Rachel Reeves
Posted by: Vanessa Smith
Date/Time: 01/12/25 12:55:00

Some people have very short and convenient memories.

The Boris Johnson Brexit Bus Lie:
The Boris Johnson Brexit bus lie that the NHS would get an extra £350m a week was one of the most contentious issues of the 2016, EU referendum campaign. Along with “Turkey is joining the EU”, the claim that the UK sends £350m a week to the EU. That money could instead be spent on the NHS created much debate during and after the referendum result.

1. On the side of the Brexit bus:
Dominic Cummings, the Campaign Director of Vote Leave, who came up with the ‘Take back control’ slogan, also wanted to capitalise on concerns about funding for the NHS. Cummings knew the NHS was something many voters cared deeply about and proposed a slogan for this purpose. “We send the EU £350 million a week, let’s fund our NHS instead”.

The slogan was then put on the side of the official Vote Leave campaign bus. Johnson, Michael Gove and other Leave campaigners claimed the £350m figure represented funds that the UK did not have control over as a result of having to pay for membership of the EU. It was explicitly claimed this money could redirected to the NHS instead.

2. Why is the £350m a week for the NHS a lie?
The Boris Johnson Brexit bus lie of £350 a week for the NHS is misleading and false for two reasons.

Firstly, the figure does not include the rebate negotiated by Margaret Thatcher. Which was taken off the UK’s membership fee before it was paid to the EU.
Secondly, it does not allow for any funding that flows back from the EU (e.g. income for farmers as part of the Common Agriculture Policy and regional investments for deprived areas). The Leave campaign promised that farmers would not be worse off as a result of Brexit. There was no way all the money sent to the EU could ever be directed to the NHS instead.
We could also add that because Conservative government had been underfunding the NHS since 2010, the government should have been increasing investment in the NHS to make up for the historically low levels of funding. However, because the Remain campaign was led by David Cameron, who was responsible for the policy of underfunding. No attention was given to this as a reason why the NHS was in need of additional money.

Entire Thread
TopicDate PostedPosted By
Rachel Reeves30/11/25 15:09:00 Denis I. Fox
   Re:Rachel Reeves30/11/25 19:11:00 Peter Evans
      Re:Re:Rachel Reeves30/11/25 19:35:00 Michael Brown
         Re:Re:Re:Rachel Reeves30/11/25 20:25:00 Steve Taylor
            Re:Re:Re:Re:Rachel Reeves30/11/25 21:11:00 Chris Dakers
               Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 11:09:00 Steve Taylor
                  Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 11:35:00 Nicholas Beard
                  Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 11:37:00 David Turner
                     Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 12:30:00 Jayne Thorburn
                        Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 12:53:00 Philippa Bond
               Re:Two child benefit limit01/12/25 15:51:00 Richard Greenhough
                  Re:Re:Two child benefit limit01/12/25 16:12:00 Paul James
                     Re:Re:Re:Two child benefit limit01/12/25 16:55:00 Richard Greenhough
                        Re:Re:Re:Re:Two child benefit limit01/12/25 16:59:00 Janice Evans
   Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 12:55:00 Vanessa Smith
      Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 13:03:00 Jayne Thorburn
         Re:Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 13:37:00 Janice Evans
         Re:Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 14:06:00 Vanessa Smith
            Re:Re:Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 18:04:00 Denis I. Fox
               Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 18:53:00 Vanessa Smith
      Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 13:09:00 Peter Evans
         Re:Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 13:32:00 Janice Evans
            Re:Re:Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 14:41:00 Jayne Thorburn
               Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 15:54:00 N V Brooks
                  Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 16:15:00 Jayne Thorburn
                     Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 16:21:00 Jayne Thorburn
               Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 20:10:00 Janice Evans
   Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 16:11:00 Paul James
      Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 16:28:00 Keith Iddon
         Re:Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 16:43:00 Steve Taylor
            Re:Re:Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 16:48:00 Paul James
               Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 17:30:00 N V Brooks
         Re:Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 16:49:00 Paul James
            Re:Re:Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 17:00:00 Keith Iddon
               Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 18:13:00 Jayne Thorburn
                  Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 18:59:00 Vanessa Smith
               Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 19:15:00 Paul James
                  Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 19:50:00 Jayne Thorburn
                     Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 19:52:00 Paul James
                        Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 20:22:00 Steve Taylor
                           Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 21:35:00 Keith Iddon
                              Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 22:15:00 Andrew Jones
                                 Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 22:41:00 Keith Iddon
                           Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Rachel Reeves01/12/25 21:36:00 Jayne Thorburn

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