‘Why is this and all the other Tory lies not being fact checked and reported?’
During his conference speech in Manchester this week, Michael Gove insisted that the infamous promise displayed on the side of the Leave campaign battle bus that departing the EU would create an additional £350m a week for the NHS has been ‘delivered.’
Attempting to convince his audience of Brexit benefits, the levelling up secretary said:
“Brexit has been delivered, and membership of the world’s fast growing trade block secured.
“And there is now more than £350m extra a week for our NHS … Promise made, promise delivered.”
Gove, who was a leading figure in the official Leave campaign in 2016, failed, however, to elaborate on how it has been delivered or offer any evidence that Brexit has brought a funding boost to the National Health Service.
Brexiteers have never been able prove that the bold promise, which is now synonymous with the Leave campaign, has been met, and there is additional money going to the NHS because of Brexit.
Nigel Farage, the so-called ‘Brexit Godfather,’ even admitted that the £350m a week to the NHS claim was “one of the mistakes” of the official Vote Leave team, and he would “never had made that claim.”
Gove’s unsubstantiated claims that the infamous bus slogan has been delivered sparked ridicule and disbelief online. Many took to X to share their thoughts.
“So why did Gove say that we are now saving the promised £350 million per week since leaving the EU? In other words, Gove is yet another lying Tory. Why is this and all the other Tory lies not being fact checked and reported?’ wrote one bewildered X user.
“Brexit: Michael Gove claims infamous £350m a week for NHS promise ‘delivered.’ The Brexit lie never dies, does it?” posted Edwin Hayward, author of ‘Slaying Brexit Unicorns.’
“Titanic insists it arrived on scheduled in New York!” was another mocking comment.
“Shameless liars,” was another.
The claims about Brexit that Gove made in his speech were among a string of false statements and misleading comments Tory ministers made at this year’s party conference. The Prime Minister is said to have made three misleading claims in his leadership speech, including that Labour plans to cook up a deal with the EU which could see Britain accepting around 100,000 of Europe’s asylum seekers.
Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead is a contributing editor to Left Foot Forward
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