Vote Leave NHS claims ‘farcical’ says BMA leader Claims that the NHS would get billions of pounds extra funding if Britain votes to leave the EU are “farcical” […]

Claims that the NHS would get billions of pounds extra funding if Britain votes to leave the EU are “farcical” and “irresponsible”, the leader of the British Medical Association said today.

“The NHS deserves better than that. It’s not a logo to misuse on a leaflet or a bus” Dr Mark Porter, BMA The i newsletter cut through the noise Email address is invalid Email address is invalid Thank you for subscribing! Sorry, there was a problem with your subscription.

Dr Mark Porter berated Vote Leave campaigners and told his union’s annual meeting in Belfast that the NHS would not exist if not for the contribution of overseas medics. He also condemned the “continental game-playing” with the health service .

“It’s beyond irresponsible,” Dr Porter said, referring to the contentious claim on Vote Leave campaign literature that the £350m “sent” to Brussels could be better spent on the NHS.

‘Promise based on fantasy figures’

“It relies on the unknowable assumption that the United Kingdom’s economy will be the same size, and the money would still be available. It is a promise that has been proven to be based on fantasy figures, but it is maintained as a slogan designed to deceive.

While the BMA has said it remains neutral on Thursday’s vote, Dr Porter, chairman of the BMA’s council, said: “And further, do we really believe that some of the most ardent, fanatical and dogmatic supporters of austerity are suddenly desperate to increase public spending if only they had the chance? That the only thing holding them back from investing in the people’s health before now, has been saving it up as a mammoth bribe?

“Instead we have a promise, made by senior politicians, of money they don’t know they can find, and probably no inclination to spend if they stumbled across it.

“The NHS deserves better than that. It’s not a logo to misuse on a leaflet or a bus.”