UKIP is wrong about the British contribution to Europe's budget

9.38.05am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 27th May 2009

The UK Independence Party has claimed repeatedly that European Union membership costs the UK £40 million per day, or around £15 billion a year. This is overblown nonsense. The UK does make a net contribution to the EU, which varies year on year, but this year amounts to around £4 billion. On average, each person in the UK contributes £67 a year, or £1.29 per week, or 18p a day to the EU budget.

The EU budget supports agriculture, the environment, research and development, and infrastructure in poor regions and in countries that until recently were communist dictatorships. Growth and stability in the newer member states create new opportunities for British companies.

Said Wantage and Didcot spokesman Alan Armitage: "It is right that Britain should pay its fair share to invest in the EU single market and in other programmes that benefit Britain and Europe. The Liberal Democrats are doing their bit to make sure that reforms to the EU budget and growing prosperity in poorer countries and regions will over time lessen the UK's budget contributions."

Mr Armitage explained: "Britain pays similar amounts into the budget as do other countries of our size and wealth. Three million jobs in Britain are linked to trade with other EU countries, and it is only fair that Britain makes a financial contribution. This is one investment we can be sure will give us a big return."

Meanwhile, Lib Dem MP Ed Davey has written to UKIP Leader Nigel Farage challenging him to publish his MEPs' expense claims and to account for their shameful record of voting for perks and secrecy in the European Parliament. When Nigel Farage first went to Brussels, he promised to publish his accounts annually 'so the public can inspect them', but since then neither he nor his UKIP colleagues have done so.

In addition, two of the 12 UKIP MEPs elected in 2004 have since faced criminal charges for falsely claiming benefits, false accounting and money laundering. UKIP has also voted against a cap on MEPs' earnings, reforms to make travel expenses more transparent, and have backed laws aimed at keeping their expenses secret.

Ed Davey, the chair of the Liberal Democrats' Campaigns and Candidates Committee, said, "It's one thing to complain about MPs' expenses. But it is quite another to point the finger while hiding the truth about yourself. UKIP's absent accounting, elusive expenses, and secretive attitude add up to bare-faced cheek. Nigel Farage must explain to the public where the money has gone and why they have voted against change."

Government Spending and net EU budget contributions:

Government spending 2008-09: £623bn, net EU contribution: £3bn

Government spending 2009/10: £671bn, net EU contribution: £4.1bn (i.e. 0.6% of total government spending)

For more information about British benefits from membership of the European Union, visit the website of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform:

http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/europeandtrade/europe/benefits-eu-membership/page22676.html