Andrea Leadsom hasn’t just seemingly exaggerated her financial experience. During the referendum campaign, she made other incorrect, misleading or implausible statements. Here are 10 of the choicest.
£350m: “It’s from the Office for National Statistics, they say that the amount of money that the UK owes to the EU every year is £19.1 billion.” [Buzzfeed]
InFact: The Office for National Statistics says “this amount of money was never actually transferred to the EU. Before the UK government transfers any money to the EU a rebate is applied”.
£10bn dividend: “If we vote Leave and take back control this Thursday, we will have a £10 billion a year independence dividend that we will be able to spend on our priorities.” [BBC 58:11]
InFact: The economic damage of Brexit means we could have between £20 billion and £40 billion less to spend, despite sending less money to Brussels, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).
Market impact: “They have no evidence that the markets are going to react badly.” [Buzzfeed]
InFact: On June 24th, once it became clear the UK had voted to leave, sterling suffered its largest fall as a free-floating currency.
Trade and investment: “There will be enormous interest on both sides in ensuring the negotiations are successful and trade continues – after all, the EU exports more to us than we do to them. Nor would foreign investment into the UK be harmed.” [Mail]
InFact: Britain’s exports to the EU represent 13% of our GDP. Their exports to us represent just 3% of their GDP. We can’t afford to play hard ball. They can. Meanwhile, if we lose access to the single market, we will be less attractive to foreign investors. The IFS says Brexit could reduce foreign investment in the UK by between 10% and 45%.
Grocery bills: “The EU’s protectionist agricultural policies add around £45 every month to [people’s] monthly grocery bill.” [Mail]
InFact: Ditching the Common Agricultural Policy would save about 1% on food bills – roughly £3 per month. The fall in the pound caused by the Brexit vote means food prices could go up.
Financial services: “It will be business as usual” [City am]
InFact: Brexit could mean we will lose the passport that lets our banks sell across the EU.
Outvoted: “We, Britain, have voted against Europe 70 times. And 70 times we’ve been outvoted. So how does that mean we have any influence in Europe?” [BBC 1:16:00]
InFact: Since 1999, we’ve been outvoted 56 times. We’ve been on the winning side 2,466 times, and we are one of the most successful countries in getting what we want out of the EU.
Five presidents: “Let’s be clear, those measures that those five presidents want to impose on us do include a European tax identification code, and they do include a European army.” [BBC 1:32:30]
InFact: The Five Presidents report contained no plans for either a European tax identification code or a European army.
Bailouts: “If we stay in… their failed euro project is going to cost us so dearly we will be paying for it forever.” [BBC 12:00]
InFact: David Cameron’s renegotiation made sure we wouldn’t be drawn into future eurozone bailouts.
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Crime: “The European court has overruled British judges in being able to deport criminals.” [BBC 46:30]
InFact: Leadsom may have been referring to Abu Hamza’s daughter-in-law. The European Court has yet to rule on the case. The Telegraph was forced by the press watchdog to correct a similar claim.
Edited by Hugo Dixon
Didn’t she also say that she would take immediate steps to invoke article 50?
Despite there being no plan!
That would immediately reduce our negotiating power from not very strong to non-existent.
It’s all bonkers.
She’s said she wants to trigger as soon as possible, which is open to several interpretations. I have heard it suggested that this really means not wasting time – not a bad idea on one level given that uncertainty isn’t our friend, but probably just a pitch to Tory Leavers.
But judging by a snapped policy plan today, it looks like she really wants to press the button in September. Whatever your position on the Referendum, that would be absolutely suicidal.
I thought it was very unfair when someone in the Guardian described her as a “Nazi clone of Dame Vera Lynn”…. Now try and remove that image.
You forgot to mention that she did not make a mistake by raising immigration. That was Teresa (failed again) MAY
In reply to ‘InFact’s’ comments on Ms Leadsom’s.
The ‘Infact’ comments mentioned what ‘could’ happen in the future, as opposed to what ‘would’ happen.
Scaremongering speculation again from the ‘Remainers’
Obviously, what ‘could’ happen (future tense), is because some of these facts were made clear prior to the referendum. Duh.
Leadsom is a liar and sold the British people a lemon — not a limousine.
She has made a strong of misleading and untrue claims about same-sex marriage.
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