Health Minister Philip Dunne claims the Vote Leave pledge to spend £350million a week on the NHS may NEVER happen
Remain campaigner says other departments may stake a claim for the extra post-Brexit dosh after referendum-winning pledge
THE Health Minister last night claimed the Vote Leave pledge to spend £350million a week on the NHS may never happen.
Philip Dunne, who campaigned for Remain, said other departments would stake a claim for the £350million.
During the campaign, Vote Leave issued posters that read: “Let’s give our NHS the £350m the EU takes every week.”
Their battle bus also featured the slogan: “We send the EU £350 million a week – let’s fund our NHS instead.”
But speaking to political mag House, the Ludlow MP said: "Obviously every department across government will make a pitch for some of that money.
"So I don’t think we should be counting any chickens at this stage.
“I think we’ll have to see what happens.
“We’ve got some time to run before we’re out of the EU, circumstances might change, we’ll have spending reviews before that.
"We’ll have to see what happens in those circumstances.
"There will be an election in 2020, and it will be at that point that the Chancellor will decide what happens to that money.
"None of the health ministers today were part of that specific pledge and I think we’re going to have to take that one year by year."
Mr Dunne also stressed it is “very important” the 50,000 EU citizens who are employed in the NHS were given job assurances.