Pros and cons

There are many pros and cons about Brexit. Mr Johnson's "saving £350 million" is a definite con. And what a con. We get half of that back, so the actual payment is £165 million - about 1% of our total public spending. We pay that for friction-free access to a market which takes 50% of our exports (excluding gold), and for the power to make decisions that affect that market such as agreeing regulatory standards. Not to mention the added benefit of visa-less travel for holiday makers and retirees who want a place in the sun.

The Office for Budget Responsibility predicts that our public finances will be £15 billion worse off post-Brexit - ignoring the costs of employing more civil servants to administer trade deals, to regulate medicines and other goods, and to police international agreements on things such as nuclear materials. Far from a bonfire of red tape, Brexit is threatening to become a tape factory. At least the Brexiteers have decided to try to keep immigration high in order to avoid the economic shock of thousands of tax-paying workers leaving. Though many are leaving anyway.

It is a poor reflection on Mr Johnson that he keeps repeating the £350 million lie. He is not a stupid man - this is a ploy. He has no compunction about lying in order to get what he wants - whether it is a mistress, political power, or a monument to his ego. Such a bare-faced lie reveals his view of his supporters. It may well be that he is cleverer than them, but he is making a mistake if he thinks that they are stupid.