Claims by Brexit campaigners that the UK could enjoy continued membership of the single market while avoiding contributions to the EU budget are dishonest, three leading politicians have said.
Anna Soubry, who attends cabinet as a minister for small businesses; Vince Cable, the former Liberal Democrat business secretary; and Chuka Umunna, the former shadow business secretary, accused the leave campaign of making “impossible promises” and racking up 20 separate financial commitments at a cost of £82.6bn.
Their comments, in a joint article for the Guardian, come on the day that Tony Blair called for more “muscularity” from the political centre ground in making the case for continued British membership of the EU.
Soubry, Cable and Umunna wrote that the UK’s future in Europe “trancends the political divide”.
“One particularly dishonest claim is that that the UK could enjoy continued membership of the single market while abandoning contributions to the common budget. On the strength of this assumed budget saving, a wild orgy of public spending and tax cuts is being promised. New analysis shows that the leave campaign has made 20 separate financial commitments, costing a staggering £83.6bn.”
They pointed out that Norway and Switzerland “which belong to the single market, but remain outside the EU, make net contributions on a per capita basis, similar to the UK today”.
Soubry, Cable and Umunna argued that Britain was a net beneficiary as a member of the EU. “It has been plausibly estimated that the economic benefits arising from our membership are equivalent to around £3,000 a year to the average UK household – roughly 10 times the net contribution.”
They said there was no guarantee that the UK would make any savings if it left the EU.
“Leave campaigners never acknowledge the billions we receive back from the EU in payments to British farming, support for our poorer regions and investment in scientific research, which is fundamental to universities. They forget the budget rebate won by Margaret Thatcher, which stands to this day.”
They also warned of “uncertainty and upheaval” for the UK outside the single market, over which it would have no influence regarding regulations and tariffs.
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