Mr Johnson pledged an extra £1.8bn to immediately help frontline services, in a move that further fuelled speculation he is preparing for a snap election.
But the claim was misleading. Britain's gross contribution to the EU budget is £350 million, but it gets a £85m a week rebate. "Which is why I am so determined to deliver now on the promises of that 2016 referendum campaign: not just to honour the will of the people, but to increase the cash available for this amazing national institution," he wrote.
The Nuffield Trust health think tank said the NHS has a £6bn maintenance backlog and the new funds were only a "fraction" of what was needed to fulfil Johnson's pledge to modernise 20 hospitals.Mr Johnson has vowed to take Britain out of the European Union on 31 October, after his predecessor Theresa May was forced to twice delay Brexit amid wrangling over the exit terms.
I hope nobody cuts down his magic money tree!
Johnson must have struck a previously unexplored vein of gold under No10 so he can securely promise more & more help for everyone who needs it particularly post-Brexit when economists predict disaster for British finance & a dearth of Exchequer funding.