People are waking up the Brexiteers' £350m-a-week for the NHS lie, it would seem.
A large proportion of people believe Brexit will be damaging to the NHS, according to new BMG Research polling for Left Foot Forward.
The research found that if those with a view:
- 40% believe Brexit will have a negative effect on the NHS (rising to 57% among 18-34 year olds)
- Only 25% believe Brexit will have a positive effect on the health service
- And 35% believe it will make no difference.
It seems that voters are waking up to the fact that the £350m-a-week ‘Brexit NHS dividend’, promised by Brexiteers, was a total lie – and that all the evidence suggests the health service will be far worse off after leaving the EU.
In fact, Brexit presents at least four new threats to the health service, a new report has warned.
The health service will face funding cuts, staffing shortages, problems accessing new drugs and UK patients being barred from travelling to the EU for treatment. The report by UK think tank Changing Europe goes on to warn:
“Even without Brexit, addressing the pressures on NHS funding would likely have required significant tax increases, extra borrowing or diverting more money away from other services.
“Brexit will make responding to these challenges even more difficult.”
Voters now appear to be waking up to this frightening reality.
Josiah Mortimer editor of Left Foot Forward said:
“The evidence is becoming clearer and clearer: Brexiteers lied over the NHS to boost their campaign – and more and more people are beginning to realise it.”
The polling was conducted between 13 and 16 March, 2018, with 1,815 18+ GB adults. The question asked was: ‘Do you think Brexit will have a positive or negative effect on the NHS?’
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