Your money wasted by Project Fear

Every household was sent a government leaflet – costing taxpayers £9.3million – just before the start of the campaign, setting out arguments for staying in the EU. This was not counted towards the Remain side’s spending. An MPs’ report last year found sending the leaflet was ‘inappropriate and counterproductive’.

In the run-up to the vote, official reports by Treasury civil servants warned of the dangers of Brexit, including claims that people would lose their jobs if the UK voted Leave. David Cameron and George Osborne were accused of damaging the civil service’s reputation for impartiality by dragging officials into the campaign.

A report by the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee after the referendum, said Remain had unfairly presented the Treasury’s analysis. It said a report published on the Treasury website was ‘very obviously partisan in the context of the campaign’.