What about the promises made to the people of Cornwall?

News from Kernow Matters To Us:

On Wednesday 11th May, 2016, Boris Johnson MP came to Cornwall. He arrived in Truro on a large coach emblazoned with the words: 

‘We send the EU £350 million a week – let’s fund our NHS instead’.

Whilst waving a pasty around, Boris Johnson MP promised £350 million pounds a week would indeed go to the NHS.

That's £18.2 Billion a year.

Now the NHS is in crisis again and particularly so in Cornwall where we have seen a major health centre at Cardrew closed and a less than satisfactory replacement with posters often placed up stating that there are no doctors available.

Our Chairman wrote to Mr Johnson and his letter as sent is below together with the response. 

Lies and obfuscation or not? You make up your own minds!

THE LETTER:

Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
House of Commons,
London, SW1A 0AA
boris.johnson.mp@parliament.uk 

27th August, 2016

Dear Mr. Johnson

The Referendum Campaign which you headed is now over and the electorate has voted and delivered their decision.

During Wednesday 11th May, 2016, you came to Truro where I saw you arrive in a large Neoplan Starliner coach which had been liveried with the following words amongst others:

‘We send the EU £350 million a week – let’s fund our NHS instead’.

Brandishing a pasty, you made a number of promises to those present. I called out to you, ‘Can you promise that the £350 million will actually go to the NHS Mr. Johnson?’ and you replied ‘Yes’.

You made many other promises and guarantees that day. Many of them were specific to Cornwall and I have recorded them all including those made by your colleagues.

You now hold one of the Great Offices of State and have seen a phenomenal advancement to become Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

During Friday 26th August, 2016, the news revealed that there are to be massive cuts in our National Health Service (NHS) totalling £22 billion by 2020 to 2021.

This brings me to the matter of truth. Truth and the public perception of telling the truth is a very important matter for a holder of high office. You now deal with governments and their diplomats from around the world. Truth and integrity are essential qualities.

So I ask you this Mr. Johnson, did you tell me and the many others the truth during your visit to Truro in Cornwall? Where is the £350 million a week you promised to send to the NHS? That £350 million a week equals £18.2 billion a year.

This is an open letter and I respectfully ask you to respond to my question.

Yours sincerely

THE RESPONSE:

Our ref: DE-1048203 13th September, 2016

Thank you for your correspondence of 27 August to Boris Johnson about NHS funding . As the matters you raise concern health, your correspondence has been passed to the Department of Health and I have been asked to reply.

Neither the Department nor its ministers were involved in making or endorsing the statement that an additional £350million would go towards the NHS if the UK was to leave the EU. 

However, the Government has committed to increasing spending on the NHS every year in this Parliament, with spending to be at least £10billion a year higher in real terms by 2020. This will fund and support the NHS’s own action plan, the NHS Five Year Forward View, which can be found on NHS England’s website at www.england.nhs.uk.

Yours sincerely, 

Leigh Smale 
Ministerial Correspondence and Public Enquiries
Department of Health