Britain will have even more money to spend on public services than the disputed £350 million a week Brexiteers promised after the country leaves the European Union, foreign secretary Boris Johnson said in an interview published on Tuesday.
The £350m (US$482m) figure was a central and controversial part of the pro-Leave campaign's "Take back control" message in the run-up to the 2016 referendum. Last September, government statisticians accused Mr Johnson of misusing state data by repeating it.
Britain's theoretical gross contribution to the EU in 2016 was £18.9 billion - more than £360m per week - but this was automatically lowered to £13.9bn by a rebate arrangement that has been in place since 1984.
The government received a further £4.4bn back to spend mostly on farm subsidies and infrastructure in poorer regions. Overall, Britain's net payment to the EU worked out at £181m a week.
Brexit opponents say Mr Johnson and other pro-Leave campaigners deliberately misled the public by saying £350m a week could be spent on the state-run National Health Service, a claim emblazoned on a campaign bus, and it has become symbolic of the divisions caused by the referendum.
But in the Guardian interview Mr Johnson said the UK's weekly gross contribution to the EU would rise to £438m by the time Britain left the bloc.
"There was an error on the side of the bus," Mr Johnson told the Guardian newspaper. "We grossly underestimated the sum over which we would be able to take back control. 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."
Mr Johnson has previously said the £350m figure referred to the gross payments to the EU, rather than the net amount. It also does not take account of EU funds given directly to other British bodies such as universities.
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In the last week, a number of senior Brexit campaigners such as Nigel Farage, the former head of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), suggested there needs to be another referendum to reaffirm the 2016 result of 52 to 48 per cent in favour of leaving the EU.
They fear UK Prime Minister Theresa May's approach has led to the watering down of several of their demands, including the ability to reduce immigration and to reclaim sovereignty by leaving the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.
Mrs May has ruled out another vote and Mr Johnson also told the paper he did not think there should be another referendum.
"We’ve just had one, and I think it went pretty well but it was something that caused an awful lot of heartache and soul-searching, and everybody went through the wringer on it," he said. "I'm not convinced that the public is absolutely gagging for another Brexit referendum."
The%20specs
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NEW%20UTILITY%20POLICY%3A%20WHAT%20DOES%20IT%20REGULATE%3F
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
RACE CARD
6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,200m
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,900m
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (D) 2,000m
8.15pm: Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (D) 1,600m
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
BACK%20TO%20ALEXANDRIA
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Results:
5pm: Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m | Winner: AF Tahoonah, Richard Mullen (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,400m | Winner: Ajwad, Gerald Avranche, Rashed Bouresly
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m | Winner: RB Lam Tara, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m | Winner: Duc De Faust, Szczepan Mazur, Younis Al Kalbani
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Dh70,000 2,200m | Winner: Shareef KB, Fabrice Veron, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh90,000 1,500m | Winner: Bainoona, Pat Cosgrave, Eric Lemartinel
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
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THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
