- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

London Mayor Slams Gov't Plans to 'Waste' $13Mln on Pro-EU Leaflets

© AP Photo / Kirsty WigglesworthBoris Johnson, the Mayor of London arrives for a meeting at Downing Street in London, Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London arrives for a meeting at Downing Street in London, Tuesday, March 22, 2016 - Sputnik International
Subscribe
The British government’s "biased and hysterical" plans to spend 9.3 million pounds ($13 million) on leaflets explaining why voters should back a vote to remain inside the European Union are a waste of money, London Mayor Boris Johnson said.

A Mini car is seen with a Union flag and European Union flag design on its bonnet in London, Britain March 31, 2016 - Sputnik International
UK Government to Spend $13Mln on Pro-EU Leaflets to Every Household
MOSCOW (Sputnik) Immediately after the plan was introduced Wednesday, Vote Leave spokesman Robert Oxley said it was "disgraceful" that Prime Minister David Cameron’s administration spent taxpayer money on "EU propaganda" instead of public healthcare.

"Given that I think it's very likely that it will be very biased and hysterical warning unnecessarily about the risks of leaving the EU, I think it's a complete waste of money," Johnson said in an interview with the BBC broadcaster late Wednesday.

Anticipating backlash from Leave campaigners for using budget funds to sway public opinion in favor of retaining EU membership, Environment Secretary Liz Truss said in Wednesday’s statement that publications of this sort were "entirely lawful."

The leaflet will set out the advantages of a vote to stay in the 28-nation bloc while describing some of the choices Britain would face if it were to leave. It will claim, for instance, that the "resulting economic shock" would put pressure on the national currency and possibly increase prices of some household goods.

The No campaign will also be given public funds by the Electoral Commission to deliver a leaflet of its own to every household in the United Kingdom. British media estimates the Remain campaign has an equivalent of $46.4 million as compared with $25.3 million at the disposal of the Leave camp.

The UK public holds the so-called Brexit referendum on June 23.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала