UK taxpayers pick up the £4bn Brexit wrangle bill

WITHDRAWAL from the European Union has cost the taxpayer more than £4billion in additional government costs, says the spending watchdog.

The National Audit Office said that between the EU referendum in June 2016 and March 31 this year, departments will have spent at least £4.4billion while £6.3billion was allocated by the Treasury to prepare for Brexit.

Some £2billion was specifically earmarked for no-deal preparations in 2019-20, although this was scaled back after the prospects of a cliff-edge exit receded.

The NAO said the figures represented a “minimum estimated level of spend” due to “limitations” in the data provided by departments.

Some £1.9billion went on staffing costs, £1.5billion on building new systems and infrastructure, and £288million on bringing in expertise and external advice.

Shifting

At the peak of activity, in October last year, there were 22,000 staff working on Brexit, including 1,500 moved within Whitehall to prepare for a possible no-deal exit.

NAO boss Gareth Davies said: “In preparing for EU exit, government departments planned for multiple potential outcomes, with shifting timetables and uncertainty.

“Producing this report has highlighted limitations in how Government monitored spending on EU exit specifically, and crossgovernment programmes more generally.”

Meg Hillier, chairman of the Commons public accounts committee, said: “The public has been kept in the dark as to what the Government has been doing. Data is limited, and the Treasury seem unconcerned by the lack of transparency.”