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Responding to claims by Michael Gove and Boris Johnson that leaving the EU could allow more to be spent on the NHS, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:

“Johnson and Gove are about as convincing as David Beckham in a Manchester City shirt. The truth is they’ve always played for the other side, preferring to vote for tax cuts for millionaires, instead of the funding the NHS needs.

15 April 2016

Responding to claims by Michael Gove and Boris Johnson that leaving the EU could allow more to be spent on the NHS, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:

“Johnson and Gove are about as convincing as David Beckham in a Manchester City shirt. The truth is they’ve always played for the other side, preferring to vote for tax cuts for millionaires, instead of the funding the NHS needs. It’s not up to the Leave campaign to set NHS funding.

“The reality is that Brexit would plunge the NHS into a staffing crisis, which could lead to the longest hospital waiting lists we’ve ever known. And with experts warning that Brexit would hit Britain’s economy, the consequences for NHS funding would be dire.”

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- Michael Gove has previously argued that extra money for the NHS doesn’t help, and it just needs more restructuring. This argument was made in a 2005 publication Direct Democracy: an agenda for a new model party that he co-authored. The full publication can be found here, and the health chapter starts on page 74: www.douglascarswell.com/downloads/upload13.pdf

- All TUC press releases can be found at www.tuc.org.uk

- Follow the TUC on Twitter: @The_TUC and follow the TUC press team @tucnews

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