UK Weekly Payment to EU in 2015 Over 45% Less Than Brexit Supporters Claim

The United Kingdom's weekly contribution to the European Union was 199 million pounds ($262 million) a week in 2015, which is much lower than 350 million pounds Brexit supporters had talked about, local media reported Monday, citing official figures.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Before the June 23 referendum, Brexit supporters called for stopping the weekly disbursement of 350 million pounds on the needs of the European Union, despite the objections of its opponents who said that the sum did not include rebate and EU payments into the United Kingdom's economy.

The Sky News broadcaster reported, citing recent figures by the Office for National Statistics, that London's contribution to the European Union in 2015 was 19.6 billion pounds a year before the application of the rebate, or 376 million a week.

At the same time, the broadcaster added that this sum had significantly decreased due to the rebate and Brussels' payment to the UK public sector down to 10.4 billion pounds a year, or some 199 million a week.

On June 23, the United Kingdom held a referendum to determine whether or not the country should leave the European Union. According to the final results, 51.9 percent of voters, or 17.4 million people, decided to support the so-called Brexit, while about 16.1 million opposed it.