Shropshire Star

Hopefully, future letters will be fact checked after these truths

I have read with exasperation and dismay the recent letters from Brexiteers who continue to repeat the discredited untruths started by the NHS claims on the side of their red bus.

Published

In one letter the EU is blamed for the rise in prison population – where is any evidence for this? A more likely reason is the £80 billion hit on the economy from reduced growth due to Brexit (BoE figures).

The most recent repetition of proven inaccuracies is the letter blaming all company departures from the UK on EU grants. The bogus claims were:

Cadbury; taken over by Kraft who promised not to transfer production but then moved some to Poland due to cheaper costs – NO EU GRANT.

JLR; new factory was never going to be in the UK, with Mexico being the cheapest location but Slovakia offered a grant to build there – NO EU GRANT.

Peugeot; move to Slovakia. Same as above – NO EU GRANT.

Ajax fighting vehicle built in Spain; there was no EU pressure so blame the British government for choosing the cheapest option rather than insisting on UK site.

Ford closing Southampton Transit factory and moving to Turkey; again an economic decision to concentrate production in Turkey where 185,000 vehicles were already produced versus 28,000 in Southampton. An EIB 10-year loan (not grant) was given to Ford – NO EU GRANT.

Dyson to Singapore – NO EU GRANT (Singapore not in EU you know).

You will note that two of the factories were built in Slovakia with government aid. If this government was not implacably opposed to any sort of government aid it might have done the same. Hopefully future letters will be fact checked.

JDM Chadwick, Horsehay

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