News that Vodafone is set to become the latest mobile network to reintroduce roaming charges for Brits abroad seems to have come as a surprise to several pillars of the Leave campaign – many of whom have argued precisely the opposite over the years.
The Daily Express, the ruling government and prominent Leave campaigners all described threats to re-introduce fees on roaming as hogwash after Britain exited the European Union, with the infamous John Redwood writing as recently as 2018 that ‘Project Fear’ had “caricatured itself.”
But as of yesterday, Vodafone became the latest network provider to bring fees back, joining BT-owned EE in doing so.
Paolo Pescatore, an analyst from PP Foresight, said consumers should fully expect others to follow suit, much to the bemusement of those who had dismissed fears that such moves might happen.
In 2018 The Express reported on government promises that “roaming charges WON’T come back for Brits travelling to the EU”.
Daily Express lies exposed. https://t.co/8Uvq2NQHNS pic.twitter.com/MuAp2gd427
— Haggis_UK ?? ?? (@Haggis_UK) August 9, 2021
While John Redwood once again showered himself in glory, citing Vodafone as proof that roaming charges would not be brought back in.
“A company like Vodafone anyway offers free roaming for non EU countries like Norway and Turkey as well as Iceland, a country which cancelled its application to join the EU,” he said during his round-up of the “latest Project Fear stories”.
And he’s not alone.
Check out some of the other humdingers well worthy of a recapping on:
When @edvaizey said Brexit may result in Brits paying roaming charges, Vote Leave’s @matthew_elliott accused him of “doing down consumer rights to win the referendum”, adding “there is no evidence they will go up if we Vote Leave.” Any update, Matty? ~AA https://t.co/wob6HbXrQD
— Best for Britain (@BestForBritain) August 9, 2021
So glad nobody listened to all that Project Fear nonsense before the Brexit referendum.#BrexitReality *vodafone* pic.twitter.com/H7XLjSj2OP
— Parody Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson_MP) August 9, 2021
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