Fact Check: Farage repeats £350m/week NHS Brexit claim (August 2025)

🗣️ The Claim

At a campaign event in Clacton in August 2025, Nigel Farage repeated the infamous Brexit bus pledge that leaving the EU would free up £350 million per week to spend on the NHS.

📍 The Context

  • The £350m/week slogan was painted on the side of the Vote Leave campaign bus in 2016.
  • Farage has frequently referenced it since, even though he himself distanced from it during the referendum aftermath.
  • The claim is one of the most controversial parts of the Brexit debate, often used as an example of political misinformation.

🔎 The Facts

  1. Gross vs Net Contributions
    • £350m/week was the gross figure — before accounting for the UK’s rebate and EU funding received back.
    • The net contribution was closer to £250m/week, according to the Office for National Statistics.
  2. NHS Funding Post-Brexit
    • NHS budgets have increased since 2016, but not as a direct “Brexit dividend.”
    • Funding pressures remain due to inflation, staff shortages, and wider economic conditions.
  3. Economic Offsets
    • Studies by the Institute for Fiscal Studies and UK in a Changing Europe show Brexit’s broader economic impact (trade friction, lower growth) has offset any potential savings.
    • No weekly surplus of £350m has materialised for NHS spending.

✅ Verdict: Misleading

Farage’s repeated claim ignores the rebate, net contributions, and the economic fallout of Brexit. While the NHS budget has risen, it is not because of a £350m/week windfall from leaving the EU.

📚 Sources