EU money promise blurred following Leave majority

The rumoured £350 million that the UK currently spends every week to the EU is unlikely to be spent in its entirety on the NHS, Nigel Farage has admitted.

The Leave.EU campaigner, alongside the office Vote Leave campaign, pushed the argument the the money would be spent on the NHS, with the claim being the main advertising on the group’s tour bus.

However, speaking on GMTV, Farage claimed that the promise had been a ‘mistake’.

He said: “No I can’t [guarantee it], and I would never have made that claim. That was one of the mistakes that I think the Leave campaign made.”

Elsewhere, Stephen Dalton, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, reiterated that sustainability and care must remain the priorities following the result.

He said: "The NHS has broadly benefitted from being in the EU and leaving it will undoubtedly have implications which are yet to be clearly understood. The priorities for those who lead and are on the frontline of delivering NHS funded services are the sustainability and quality of patient care.

“It is impossible to predict the full impact at this stage, but clearly it is vital that our government seeks a strong, nuanced agreement with the European Union that recognises how interwoven NHS and EU policies have become.

“NHS organisations and our partners in social and community care will be anxious to see how this decision affects recruitment, economic stability, legislation and their local efforts to transform care.

“The NHS’s top priority will be to adapt to the new circumstances and continue its high quality services for patients. The NHS Confederation, through our European Office will be working in Brussels and the UK to ensure the needs of the NHS and its patients are understood throughout this process.”