As a leading figure in the official Vote Leave campaign, Tory MP Priti Patel has repeatedly mentioned the money we would supposedly get back from the EU if we left.

But what would that money be spent on? Will we even have any if the economy takes a dive?

This issue has been repeatedly brought up during the campaign, but rarely has a senior Vote Leave campaigner been asked about their commitments.

The broadcaster Prof. Brian Cox recently parodied this on Twitter too

Happy that Boris et al will match the billion in EU science funding, although it looks like we'd be in a long queue pic.twitter.com/dmGHrbFvbi — Brian Cox (@ProfBrianCox) May 31, 2016

Today, we finally got a chance to hear Vote Leave’s claims when Priti Patel MP made an appearance on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

Some excerpts:

Mishal Hussain: Out of that 60 million pounds a week, how much would you spend on the sorts of things your campaign has talked about. Which includes: school places, new roads, VAT on fuel, which you’ve been talking about cutting, John Redwood has talk about tax cuts.

Priti Patel: Well, we have not… let me be very clear about this, we have not provided.. we have not said we would spend money on those things you have listed. We have said, we would spend British taxpayers money on a range of priorities including the NHS and in particular on VAT on fuel. So those are the two areas… let me be very clear about this, those are the two areas we have said we would spend money on. …

Mishal Hussain: Vote Leave have also promised to build roads, that something on one of your videos on YouTube, you have talked about primary school places that the £461 million – I assume this is an annual figure needed to fund the additional school places – is just over week’s funding of the EU.

Priti Patel: Of course, those are the choices and options for the government…

and later

Mishal Hussain: Well if that is the case then how can you say as you do in this letter, that university scientists, farmers, regional funds, cultural organisations and others would continue to get the money they get from the EU.

Well, we have been clear… we know that there would be more than enough money to ensure that those who currently get that funding from the EU, that money would exist and go to those priorities.

Two points became “very clear” soon after:

Firstly, the only commitments that Vote Leave can make are on the NHS and cutting VAT on fuel. But given that this is a campaign led by people who voted to cut spending on the NHS (in real terms) and to increase VAT, would you believe them?

Secondly, all the other issues they have raised (schools, housing, roads etc) are just pie-in-the-sky. They do not have the money to ‘give back’ because they have already promised it all away. And even those commitments would be wiped out if the economy takes a dive after leaving the EU.

Leaving us with… nothing.

LISTEN TO THE WHOLE INTERVIEW