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UKIP myth over UK's EU budget contribution
May 27, 2009 10:33 AM
Catherine with Sharon Bowles
UKIP's claim that membership of the EU costs Britain £14 billion a year is absolute nonsense. They have conveniently excluded both the British rebate, which last year came to £4.2 billion, and the funding Britain received from the EU, which totalled £5.9 billion. The truth is that Britain's net-contribution to the EU last year was only £3.6 billion, which was 0.6% of total public spending. To try and fool British voters, UKIP have exaggerated the cost of the UK being in the EU by over £10 billion a year. Catherine Bearder commented: "I'm not surprised by these figures because we've come to expect these sorts of libellous claims from UKIP. They're a party that has no credibility when it comes to European issues because they consistently attempt to mislead the British public. Despite what UKIP think, voters are not taken in by this sort of cheap and crude manipulation."
"Their record in Brussels further illustrates the lack of respect UKIP have for voters. UKIP MEPs have an appalling attendance record at Parliament, they fail to work hard to achieve the best for their constituents, and many are embroiled in shadowy financial dealings. It is shocking that one in every six UKIP MEPs has faced criminal charges ranging from falsely claiming benefits and false accounting to money laundering."
"I fully support Ed Davey's call for UKIP MEPs to publish their expenses. UKIP have unashamedly fought hard against bringing transparency to the EU but the public have a right to know where the money has gone."
"Lib Dem MEP Sharon Bowles publishes her expenses online and I pledge to do the same if elected."
To see Ed Davey's open letter to Nigel Farage please go to http://tinyurl.com/qaj95v
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