Brexit campaigners tear into UK government’s £9.3m pro-EU leaflet drop
The UK government is facing criticism for a £9.3m direct marketing campaign which will see a leaflet sent to every home in Britain extolling the benefits of continued membership of the continental club.
The document will warn householders that a vote to leave could risk higher unemployment and up the price of goods in supermarkets but the message has been criticised by leading members of the government, including London mayor Boris Johnson, who accuse ministers of attempting to ‘scare people’.
Amongst a succession of dire warnings the leaflet states: “If the UK voted to leave the EU, the resulting economic shock would put pressure on the value of the pound, which would risk higher prices of some household goods and damage living standards.”
This message was undermined by Johnson however, who said: “Given that I think it's very likely that it will be very biased and hysterical and warning unnecessarily about the risks of leaving the EU, I think it's a complete waste of money.
“It's crazy to use quite so much taxpayers' money on stuff that is basically intended to scare people and to stampede people in one direction.”
Under referendum rules the government can spend an unlimited amount of taxpayer money supporting British membership of the EU until a 28 day blackout ahead of the 23 June.