NHS won’t see any EU savings

Such is the case with Boris Johnson and his assertion that when we leave the EU we will save £350 million per week, and it will go to the NHS.

This figure is complete nonsense because it does not take into account what comes back in the form of rebates, common agricultural policy subsidies, and grants given to fund various building and infrastructure projects.

The actual net figure we would save is £160 million per week, still a substantial sum of money, but way short of Boris’s figure by about £10 billion for the year.

Further, does anyone seriously believe it would go to fund the NHS? Judging by past performance, it will almost certainly go on tax cuts for the wealthiest people, corporation tax is for companies (already promised by Chancellor Philip Hammond), one billion to fund the grubby deal made with the DUP to keep the Tories in power, and the rest to fund the ludicrous HS2 rail project.

Hard-line Brexiteers are now becoming very frustrated because what they thought they would get is clearly not going to happen.

They should not be surprised, because on July 20 Theresa May had a barely reported meeting with top business leaders, where it is obvious they told her what they would, or would not accept as regards leaving terms we should also remember the government still refuse to disclose what was in the letter in terms of promises made to the Nissan Care Company.

The compromises are now becoming clear. A transition period before we actually leave, and an acceptance that we really will have to make payments to cover our legal obligations (a fact stated many times by our Brexit secretary David Davies).

Despite the posturing of Boris Johnson and others no-one in the Tory party actually wants to be Prime Minister at the moment because they want Theresa May to take the blame for a fudged Brexit deal.

What has to be understood here is that as big business funds the Tory party, in the end it will dictate the terms on which we leave. So much for democracy.

Peter Simpson

Dudley