'£1 billion EU membership doesn't add up', says Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson has highlighted the one billion pound EU 'membership fee' that the West Country pays every year in an attempt to persuade people to vote Leave in the upcoming referendum.

The former London Mayor kickstarted the campaign in Cornwall this morning, unveiling a 'battle bus' and setting out his argument to Ian Axton.

Johnson claimed the West Country pays £1.38 billion to the EU every year, as part of Britain's wider contribution of around £10 billion. Cornwall and Devon are set to receive £400 million over the next four years, but Johnson claims this is only some of the taxpayers' money being returned.

Touching on the issues surrounding agriculture and fishing, Boris Johnson said that the industries were struggling because of "red tape and regulation".

He argued fisheries would benefit from leaving the EU because the quotas could be removed and provide a boom for the industry. Likewise farmers would not be expected to rotate their crops on such a strict basis.

However there was less clarity on whether agriculture workers from the EU, which many farmers in the West Country rely on, would still be able to migrate to England.

Johnson said leaving the EU would mean we have more 'control' over our borders: