Will there really be a Brexit dividend to fund increases to the NHS budget?

The Conservative Government has announced that there will be a new funding settlement for the NHS to mark the 70th anniversary of the the creation of the health service. This may well not be enough but the news is welcome.

However, it is unclear how it will be funded. The Prime Minister claims that part of the funding will come from a Brexit dividend when the UK leaves the European Union. Is this true?

The BBC has done a reality check and summarises the situation as follows:

The claim: The Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts include an extra £10bn each year from 2019-20 for public spending as a result of leaving the EU – this could be spent on the NHS.

Reality Check verdict: If the UK manages to stop completely its contributions to the EU budget in 2019-20 then there may be some extra money to spend on other things – but in that same year the OBR is predicting that the government will have to borrow an extra £14.7bn as a result of the Brexit vote.


 




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