Will Brexit clear a path to ever greater EU integration?

The slogan emblazoned on the Vote Leave battle bus last year, promising an extra £350 million a week to spend on the National Health Service, was the most controversial and effective of the referendum campaign. It was false on both counts – Britain’s net contribution to the European Union is much smaller and the savings will not all go to the NHS – but it pointed towards a broader truth.When Britain exits in March 2019, it will leave behind it a large hole in the EU budget, which will create problems for the remaining 27 member states. Britain is the third-biggest net contributor after Germany and France, accounting for 13.45 per cent of the EU’s revenue in 2016.

 

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