Trending
Ebola outbreak in DR Congo becomes deadliest in country’s history is trending now Request for Applications: Research in Health Systems (South Africa) is trending now 2014 vs 2026: What’s different about this Ebola outbreak? is trending now Amber fossil reveals firefly relative with unprecedented antennae is trending now New Baobab Species Identified in Madagascar is trending now Immune signaling pathway protects newborn heart cells from injury is trending now A Double Hit from the Sun Will Cover the Earth with a Series of Magnetic Storms is trending now Cameroon dominate Malawi to win first Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title is trending now Ten-man Lens beat PSG to the Super Cup as Nuno Mendes sees a red card for misconduct is trending now Three things we learned from Arsenal vs Manchester City in the Community Shield is trending now Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez share the first photos from their super-secret w… is trending now ARTO Open Call for Southeast Asian Artists is trending now Ebola outbreak in DR Congo becomes deadliest in country’s history is trending now Request for Applications: Research in Health Systems (South Africa) is trending now 2014 vs 2026: What’s different about this Ebola outbreak? is trending now Amber fossil reveals firefly relative with unprecedented antennae is trending now New Baobab Species Identified in Madagascar is trending now Immune signaling pathway protects newborn heart cells from injury is trending now A Double Hit from the Sun Will Cover the Earth with a Series of Magnetic Storms is trending now Cameroon dominate Malawi to win first Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title is trending now Ten-man Lens beat PSG to the Super Cup as Nuno Mendes sees a red card for misconduct is trending now Three things we learned from Arsenal vs Manchester City in the Community Shield is trending now Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez share the first photos from their super-secret w… is trending now ARTO Open Call for Southeast Asian Artists is trending now
Politics

The UK is much better off out of the EU

Our last year charged as a member of the EU meant we paid them £17 bn in tax revenues. We got £4.4 bn back , making a net contribution of £12.6 bn. In practice UK taxpayers had to pay the £17 bn. The money back was meant to be for things the UK government would…

Our last year charged as a member of the EU meant we paid them £17 bn in tax revenues. We got £4.4 bn back , making a net contribution of £12.6 bn. In practice UK taxpayers had to pay the £17 bn. The money back was meant to be for things the UK government would not normally pay for, directed by EU policies.

We are no longer making these large contributions. Every year that passes saves us more money, as the EU put the  membership fees up.

More importantly since covid the EU has gone on a borrowing binge. By 2026 it will have added Euro  806 bn of extra debt, to be guaranteed by the member states. Our share of that assuming all members pay their way would have been around £110 bn. The EU is also borrowing to lend on to Ukraine, again with member states standing behind the debts.

The last thing we need is yet more state debt. The UK has been too ready to borrow directly on its own account. It would be bad news for taxpayers if we were also up to our eyes in EU  debt. The side of the bus said we could spend more on the NHS when our EU fees stopped. That is exactly what happened, so the NHS is getting a lot more money and the UK debt is still going up.

View original source →

Related

More from John Redwood's Diary