BBC Question Time Sees Douglas Carswell Confronted By 'Played' Preston Woman On Brexit £350m For NHS

'I’m starting to think that I’ve been played.'
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Douglas Carswell was embroiled in an awkward argument over claims that £350m in EU contributions could be used for the NHS, after a woman on BBC Question Time confronted the Ukip MP over the figure.

The unnamed woman told last night's panel: "I’m starting to think that I’ve been played.

"One of the reasons that I voted to leave was because of the fact that they were promised more money into the NHS and thinking about it now, probably I’m old enough to know better.

"I shouldn’t have put my trust in someone like Farage."

The audience member told the programme, held in Preston, she felt she had been 'played'
The audience member told the programme, held in Preston, she felt she had been 'played'
BBC

Her comments led to Tory MP Sam Gyimah going on the attack, claiming: "It was a cynical attempt knowing that people care about the NHS to link the NHS to EU issue to get people to vote leave, then straight after the campaign they started welching on that promise."

Carswell responded: "No one has retreated an inch from the promise. We have made it absolutely clear that we would like to see-"

But the Clacton MP was cut off by Gyimah, who asked him to reconfirm the £350m figure.

Carswell said: "£100million a week was the promise."

Douglas Carswell did not look pleased when pressed by Sam Gyimah about the £350m
Douglas Carswell did not look pleased when pressed by Sam Gyimah about the £350m
BBC

But the Conservative education minister pressed on, saying: "On the bus it said £350m a week."

Carswell refused to back down, continuing: "It was £100m more for the NHS, £5.2billion a year."

Gyimah repeated the question: "£350m a week: yes or no?”

To which Carswell simply responded: "£100m a week."

Several people on social media were quick to point out that Carswell's own Twitter picture contained evidence of the figure...

The poster was also an issue for another audience member who told Carswell: "I voted Brexit and I did so entirely on economic grounds not migration grounds. Indeed I hope the UK government going forward will sustain our overseas aid budget.

"But Mr Carswell, I, like you, voted to get out from underneath an EU that doesn’t work.

"I, like you I suspect, want to see hotshot trade negotiators sent across the globe to bring back lucrative deals to make us richer and more successful.

"But unlike you I don’t work for an odious individual who stands in front of dreadful posters."

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