Row erupts between Theresa May and Boris Johnson over his claim Britain will be able to claw back MORE than £350million a week
A FRESH rift opened up between Theresa May and Boris Johnson when the PM refused to back him for saying Britain will be able to claw back MORE than Vote Leave’s contentious £350million a week claim.
He said the figure would rise to £438million a week by the end of the transition period in 2020/21.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman accepted that our EU contribution “fluctuated” but refused to back Mr Johnson’s call to arms for the money to be spent on the NHS. And Downing Street said some years the money saved will even be less than £350million a week.
The PM’s official spokesman said: “Some years it is bigger, some years it is smaller.”
“The PM has said that once we leave the EU we will have significant sums of money which we will choose how that money is spent, and we can spend that on our priority areas.”
Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson said Mr Johnson was wrong to repeat the controversial referendum pledge.
And Tory MP Anna Soubry even accused him of trying to “con” voters with his “irresponsible” claim.
She told BBC Daily Politics: “He should be honest about the challenges that Brexit poses to our country.”
Labour asked the statistics watchdog to “make a statement on the accuracy” on Mr Johnson’s claims.
It is the second time Labour has written to Sir David Norgrove, chairman of the UK Statistics Authority, about the Foreign Secretary’s £350million claim.
Sir Keir said: “The £350 million a week claim made by the Vote Leave campaign has been widely condemned as inaccurate and misleading.
“For example, in September of last year the Statistics Authority wrote to the Foreign Secretary saying ‘it is a clear misuse of official statistics’. And yet, Mr Johnson has chosen to repeat this statement and expand on the claim even further. I do not believe this to be acceptable.
“I would therefore be grateful if you could make a statement on the accuracy of the Foreign Secretary’s most recent comments.”
Meanwhile leading health expert Professor Sir Michael Marmot blasted Mr Johnson’s latest claim “ridiculous”.
He said the Brexit campaign’s highly controversial claim has already been confirmed “a lie”.
The academic also said the history books would remember Mr Johnson as “one of the best guests on Have I Got News For You”.
Speaking at a press conference in London about reducing health inequalities, Sir Michael was asked what he made of Mr Johnson’s claim.
“I think, when the history of the 21st century is written, Boris Johnson will go down as one of the best guests on Have I Got News For You.
“It’s a ridiculous thing to say. It’s been pointed out by the statistics authority, the national statistics authority that that is totally misleading,” he said.
Sir Michael added: “He does say ‘gross’. Gross is a good word to use actually ... but that’s not the relevant bit.”
The academic said the claim has been shown to be “a lie”, adding: “It’s an untruth. It’s misleading. I’m not sure what other word to use.”
The claim first attracted criticism during the referendum campaign, when Mr Johnson was travelling around the country in a Vote Leave bus emblazoned with the slogan “We send the EU £350 million a week - let’s fund our NHS instead”.
Also speaking at the press conference, David Taylor, emeritus professor of pharmaceutical and public health policy at UCL, said people who voted Brexit want a well-funded health service and it would be “tragic” if they were being misled.
Mr Johnson made his controversial remarks in an interview with the Guardian. He said: “There was an error on the side of the bus. We grossly underestimated the sum over which we would be able to take back control.”
He added: “As and when the cash becomes available – and it won’t until we leave – the NHS should be at the very top of the list.”
Last night leading Brexit campaigner Jacob Rees-Mogg was elected to a key backbench Tory Eurosceptic group.
The influential Tory MP stood unopposed to to chair the European Reform Group.
Brexiteers hailed his election as the perfect candidate as he is a “true believer” in Brexit.
The group has more than 60 Eurosceptic Tory MPs but there was rising concern that it was failing to do enough to influence the Government.
Warning Mrs May his group would fight any attempt to water down Brexit, Mr Rees-Mogg said: “It is especially important to achieve control of our laws, control immigration and achieve new trade agreements with other countries.
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“The ERG speaks individually not with the collective view but has considerable support across the Parliamentary Party.
“As Chairman I intend to be helpful, vigorous and supportive towards Government policy of making a success of Brexit.”
