John Baron MP: ‘Project Fear’ is now ‘Project Panic’

MP says Chancellor will not get ‘desperate’ emergency Budget past Conservative back benchers if the UK leaves the EU

This morning the Chancellor announced that, if the UK leaves the EU, he will have to present an emergency Budget slashing public spending and raising taxes. However, many Conservative MPs will oppose such measures, especially since this would involve breaking a number of manifesto pledges from the 2015 General Election.

John said,

“This is a desperate attempt by the ‘remain’ camp to bully the public which will not work. We can not renege on our manifesto pledges and raise taxes. The Chancellor will not find support in Parliament for cuts to the NHS, Police and education. He also ignores the £10 billion savings each year from leaving the EU, and the two-year period of negotiation before we actually leave.”

“‘Project Fear’ has now become ‘Project Panic’, as voters turn away from scaremongering and bullying. This will be another nail in the ‘remain’ campaign’s coffin, and the Chancellor will not find support for his desperate Budget on the Conservative back benches.”

Ends
Word Count: 188
Date: 15th June 2016

Notes to Editors:

• In 2012, John led the Parliamentary campaign to get the Prime Minister to legislate in that Parliament for a referendum in this. He organised two letters to the Prime Minister, signed by 100 Conservative MPs, calling for referendum legislation to be placed on the Statute Book in the last Parliament for an in/out referendum in this Parliament. This helped persuade David Cameron to promise an in/out vote in his Bloomberg Speech in January 2013.
• John then tabled an amendment to the Queen’s Speech in May 2013, regretting the absence of referendum legislation in the Government’s agenda.
• Though the amendment was defeated, it was supported by 115 Conservative MPs. This persuaded the Prime Minister to go down the Private Member’s Bill route and, when this was twice defeated by Labour and Liberal Democrat Parliamentarians, to place it at the centre of the 2015 Conservative manifesto at the General Election.