Reality Check: Are we giving 拢350m a week to Brussels?
- Published
The claim: "We are giving 拢20bn a year or 拢350m a week to Brussels."
Reality Check verdict: We are not giving 拢20bn a year or 拢350m a week to Brussels - Britain pays 拢276m a week to the EU budget because of the rebate.
Mayor of London Boris Johnson used the figure in this morning that the UK gives 拢350m a week to Brussels.
He has gone with that figure despite a on Thursday, which described it as "potentially misleading".
The figure used is roughly the UK's gross contribution to the EU - the amount that would be contributed to the EU Budget were it not for the rebate.
We say "roughly the UK's gross contribution" because the annual figure that Boris Johnson used was 拢20bn, somewhat higher than the 拢18.8bn figure for 2014 - the most recent figure available - while the 拢350m a week figure is a bit below the actual figure of 拢361m.
The important point is that it's not the sum we send to Brussels because the rebate is deducted before any money is paid. In 2014, the UK's contribution to the EU budget - the amount we paid to Brussels - was actually 拢276m a week.
If Britain were to give up the rebate, then the UK would have to pay the gross contribution, and it should be noted that the rebate is not a permanent feature of Britain's membership of the EU.
But we do not pay the gross contribution at the moment, the rebate is safe until 2020, and Britain has a veto over the process that would remove or reduce it.
Sir Andrew Dilnot is particularly concerned about suggestions from Vote Leave that a sum of money equivalent to the gross contribution could be spent on other priorities such as the NHS, when some of it is not spent at all (the rebate) and some of it is currently used to support UK farmers, for example.
READ MORE: The facts behind claims in the EU debate
- Published22 February 2016