Facts

The Office for Budget Responsibility reported that, “The latest evidence suggests that Brexit has had a significant adverse impact on U.K. trade, via reducing both overall trade volumes and the number of trading relationships between U.K. and EU firms.”

The report goes on to reaffirm their earlier predictions, made in March 2020, that Brexit would ultimately reduce productivity and UK gross domestic product by 4 percent compared with a world where the country remained inside the EU.

The Financial Times estimates that level of decline, worth £100bn a year in lost output, to result in lost revenues for the Treasury of roughly £40bn a year.

Verdict

It cannot be said with confidence that Michael Gove was lying. Perhaps he genuinely believed what he said? At all events Gove was talking rubbish. Like many other Conservative ministers Michael Gove is in a state of denial regarding the impact of Brexit.

We emailed Mr Gove's office offering him the chance to respond. The email was received, but no reply.