David Cameron defends £9m spend on EU leaflets

David Cameron has defended the £9m government leaflet promoting the EU as ‘money well spent’ and ‘necessary’, as the Tory party erupts into fury once again. What’s interesting about this new row – over a leaflet sent to all homes which sets out ‘why the Government believes that voting to remain in the European Union is the best decision for the UK’ – is that it has incensed not just those usual suspects who are annoyed that the Remain side already has a natural advantage in the referendum campaign in that it can wheel out the Prime Minister for guaranteed media attention whenever it likes. MPs who are on the same side as Cameron are embarrassed that the government is spending so much money on the leaflet, too, as it contradicts the government’s general message of needing to tighten belts and continue to make difficult decisions.

Of course, £9m is smaller than a rounding error in government spending terms, but that’s not the case for many voters, who think it sounds like quite a lot of money.