Support our Nation today - please donate here
News

Call to stop wasting millions on Get Ready for Brexit ‘propaganda’ as EU grant extension

28 Oct 2019 2 minute read
Get Ready for Brexit sign.

A Welsh MP has called for an immediate stop to the £100 million ‘Get Ready for Brexit’ ad campaign, saying that it was nothing more than a “thinly veiled piece of political propaganda”.

The adverts claim that the UK is set to leave on the 31 October despite the Prime Minister having already written a letter to the European Union requesting an extension to Article 50.

The EU are expected to agree to a three month extension, until January, today.

Despite this, the UK Government has confirmed that the advertising campaign is still live and spending will continue.

Plaid Cymru MP for Arfon Hywel Williams said that the adverts should be pulled and that the money should be spent on services such as the NHS instead.

“Boris Johnson has made a career out of peddling dodgy figures – from £350 million for the NHS on the side of that big, red, Brexit bus, to his false-promise of a 31 October exit day,” he said. “You simply cannot trust him.

“It is disgraceful that the ‘Get Ready for Brexit’ adverts claiming that the UK will leave the EU on 31 October are still running even though the Prime Minister has asked for an extension.

“We have known for some time that this is nothing more than thinly veiled political propaganda that is costing the taxpayer £100 million. To borrow a phrase, we could have been spending this money on the NHS instead.

“These false adverts must now stop, before millions more in taxpayers’ money is wasted.

“Fundamentally, it’s campaigns like this that destroy public trust. This will inevitably lead to the public being evermore sceptical of future government information campaigns.”

 

Departure

Under a proposal circulated to EU27 governments on Sunday the EU would grant Britain’s request for a Brexit delay until the end of January, while leaving open the possibility for it to leave on December 1 2019 or on New Year’s Day if its withdrawal treaty has been ratified.

The plan, which is set to be discussed by national ambassadors in Brussels this morning, would also see EU leaders exclude any reopening of Mr Johnson’s Brexit deal, ruling out further negotiations on the terms of the UK’s departure.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson had said in the past he would prefer to be “dead in a ditch” than miss the October 31 deadline.


Support our Nation today

For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
5 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Jonathon Gammond
Jonathon Gammond
4 years ago

I am trying to imagine the situation where a small business owner, a farmer, someone working in the third sector etc etc who somehow had been totally unware of what has been happpening for the last three years, would be driving along and see one of these posters and go ‘Oh, I didn’t know about all this, but I really ought to do something now before it is too late.’ And then would actually go to the website and gather some useful information…

Unfortunately that requires the imaginative abilities of Charles Dickens or Margaret Attwoood.

jr humphrys
jr humphrys
4 years ago

Ah, that means you get the UK Gov. mails each weekend?
btw I received a new passport two weeks ago, with no European Union text on cover.

Ernie The Smallholder
Ernie The Smallholder
4 years ago

Thanks for the article. Prime Minister Boris Johnson had said in the past he would prefer to be “dead in a ditch” – It seems that him and his party is already “dead in a ditch”. …And England will follow if the voters don’t boot him and his now extremist party out. His group has booted out the more moderate centre-right (EPP supported). The greatest stability for Cymru Wales is to go our own way, with our own choices as an independent nation. …And this is all the more urgent. Nation.Cymru, Yes Cymru, and every section of our movement should… Read more »

jr humphrys
jr humphrys
4 years ago

Great stuff! Plaid should go for the positive message, as in Scandia.
Finland, Sweden, Denmark all look forward to what Europe can become
A neighbour of England, or partner with Europe?

Ben Angwin
Ben Angwin
4 years ago

Visit any of Wales’ cathedrals: Llandaf, Aberhonddu, Tyddewi, Bangor, etc…

Propaganda using imagery is nothing new. It’s not going anywhere.

Our Supporters

All information provided to Nation.Cymru will be handled sensitively and within the boundaries of the Data Protection Act 2018.