Watson reports PM over NHS 'Brexit dividend' claim
Tom Watson has reported the Prime Minister to advertising watchdogs over claims that a 'Brexit dividend' will partly fund a major cash boost for the NHS.
According to Theresa May, the NHS will get an extra £20 billion a year by 2023 – an increase of 3.4 per cent – as a 70th 'birthday present', with the extra cash coming from tax rises and money saved once Britain no longer has to pay into the EU.
A graphic posted on Mrs May's official Number 10 Twitter account said: "Our long-term plan for the NHS. Funded by the Brexit dividend with us as a country contributing a bit more."
Labour deputy leader Tom Watson said the claim was 'at best misleading and at worst a complete myth'. He has written to the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) demanding action is taken.
In his letter to ASA chief executive Guy Parker, West Bromwich East MP and shadow culture secretary Mr Watson, said: "The ASA website states clearly that ‘local authorities, government and other public bodies should be aware that their ad campaigns, like those of commercial companies, are subject to the rules in the Advertising Codes'.
"The thread of graphics posted by the UK Prime Minister Twitter account was an ad campaign promoting the Government’s policy to millions of followers.
"The website goes on to say ‘the ASA will intervene if an ad by a public body crosses the line, whether that’s through being harmful, offensive or misleading… government departments, local authorities and other public bodies should also ensure that their ads are not misleading and that objective claims are supported by robust evidence'.
"Unfortunately, the ‘Brexit dividend’ is widely regarded as at best misleading and at worst a complete myth."
Mr Watson added: "Given the importance of the NHS to the millions of people who follow government advertising on the UK Prime Minister twitter feed, I request that you investigate whether the advertising material breaches ASA policy that advertising has to be supported by the ‘robust evidence."
House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee chairwoman Sarah Wollaston described the idea of a Brexit dividend as 'tosh'.
The Tory MP accused the Government of using 'populist arguments rather than evidence'.
Paul Johnson, the director of economic think tank the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), said: "There isn’t a Brexit dividend."
