Brexiteer economist backtracks on live TV after saying she made up Treasury figures

Ruth Lea, a pro-Brexit economist, has been forced to backtrack on live television after claiming she “made up” figures while working at the treasury.

In a heated debate about government figures with Torcuil Crichton, Westminister editor at Scottish newspaper the Daily Record, Lea made a rather revealing comment.

During an appearance on BBC News from earlier this weeks, Lea attempted to dismiss the doom-mongering surround the prospect of a no-deal exit from the EU on October 31.

Crichton was detailing the worrying impact that a no-deal could have, which have been released by the government themselves, but Lea wasn't having it and told him "you're making the figures up now."

The journalist then attempted to correct her and said that they are actual government figures.

Her response was to not only expose herself to scrutiny after revealing that she had invented figures up when she worked for the Treasury, serving almost 16 years as a civil servant.

I don’t believe those. They just made them up. I was in the Treasury. I made figures up when I was in the Treasury.

The erstwhile civil servant immediately backtracked when pressed by BBC presenter Ben Brown who asked 'Really? Did you really'

Remarkably she responded by saying:

No, I forecast things, I estimated things.

Brown then attempted to clarify her statement by asking again:

But you didn’t make them up did you?

To which she then, just 30 seconds after saying her original statement, said that she never made up figures.

Oh no, I didn’t make them up.

Goodness, well at least the economy is looking good as we head into the abyss of no-deal. Oh, wait...

HT iNews

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