Jarvis tears into Tory Brexit campaigners for writing “blank cheques that will bounce”

Tories campaigning to leave the EU are guilty of a “blatant attempt to mislead Labour voters”, according to Dan Jarvis, who is expected to accuse Outers of making promises they cannot fulfil.

He will accuse Brexit-backing Tories of targeting traditionally Labour parts of the country – which experience huge benefits from EU funding – in a speech on Wednesday in Keighley, West Yorkshire.

Jarvis will go on to say claims that leaving the EU will result in more money for the NHS, building extra schools and better rights at work are “blank cheques that will bounce”. He is expected to say public services would actually be endangered by Brexit.

The Barnsley Central MP will challenge the Out campaigners to “come clean”about the £20bn spending cuts which he says they would deliver if Britain left the EU, saying this outcome would risk the NHS as well as reducing the cash voters would have for basic expenses, such as their weekly food shop.

He is expected to say: “Tories like Michael Gove and Iain Duncan Smith have been devastating our public services for the past six years.

“Now they are claiming that if we leave the EU they’ll be spending more money on the NHS, building more schools and protecting workers’ rights.

“This is a blatant attempt to mislead Labour voters into supporting Brexit. They are promising Labour voters blank cheques that will bounce.

“The EU brings huge benefits to communities in Labour areas. We know that the EU invests millions of pounds every year on projects that provide huge benefits to Labour voters. There are also hundreds of thousands of jobs in Labour communities that are linked to trade with the EU.”

Jarvis’ warnings follow speeches from Jeremy Corbyn and TUC leader Frances O’Grady that leaving the EU would could risk bringing patient charges into the NHS, threaten staffing levels and increase waiting times.