The Latest: Johnson claims Brexit savings more than claimed

16/1/2018 19:43

        U.K. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has defended a debunked claim that leaving the European Union will save Britain 350 million pounds a week. In fact, Johnson says, the figure is too low.
        
        The claim that "we send the EU 350 million pounds a week" was emblazoned on the side of a bus used by the "leave" campaign in Britain's 2016 EU membership referendum.
        
        The Office for National Statistics said that's a gross figure that does not take account of rebates and other deductions. The net amount the U.K. pays is about 180 million pounds per week.
        
        In an interview published Tuesday he said Britain's gross contribution to the EU budget was 362 million pounds a week, and would rise to 438 million pounds a week by the end of a two-year transition period after Brexit in 2019.