The ‘Festival of Brexit’ was a massive exorbitant flop and we’re all so so shocked
The National Audit Office is to investigate the ‘Festival of Brexit’ – later named ‘Unboxed: Creativity in the UK’ – after the collection of cultural events cost the taxpayer £120 million.
Another £120m down the drain as Festival of Brexit – renamed Unboxed – cost more than £500 for each visitor https://t.co/P9jXilLUXW the National Audit Office will investigate
— Paul Lewis (@paullewismoney) October 11, 2022
The attendance of 238,000 was a mere 65,762,000 short of the very ambitious estimate, making the cost somewhere north of £500 per visitor.
It remains unclear whether Sun readers attempting to think of a Brexit benefit for Jacob Rees-Mogg was performance art for the festival.
Was anybody surprised that it flopped? Not really.
Were they angry at the waste of money?
1.
‘The metaphor is too on the nose,’ explained a spokesperson from the Department of Own Goals https://t.co/zgjG510Pvc
— Toby Earle 🇺🇦 (@TobyonTV) October 11, 2022
2.
So-called ‘festival of Brexit’ to be investigated over reported £120 million cost, which works out to around £30 million per visitor.
— Have I Got News For You (@haveigotnews) October 11, 2022
3.
What could be more symbolic than a festival of Brexit championed by Rees-Mogg, unwilling to use the name ‘Brexit’ for fear of alienating audiences and now under investigation by the Audit Office because MPs “are alarmed by its exorbitant cost”?
It’s so endlessly stupid.(Times) pic.twitter.com/jEIvH5NULc
— sarah murphy (@13sarahmurphy) October 11, 2022
4.
In the broader context of Brexit, 1% is a spectacular success. https://t.co/faBv9ZAkdR
— James Oh Brien (@mrjamesob) October 11, 2022
5.
This government has done so much shady weird shit which involves their mates getting a bit of £££ I'm amazed this made it to "probe" stage. https://t.co/JqKsNb4Up4
— Sooz Kempner (@SoozUK) October 11, 2022
6.
I went to the Festival of Brexit and all I got was this expensive jar of homemade jam pic.twitter.com/ajiyoO1bhS
— HappyToast ★ (@IamHappyToast) October 11, 2022
7.
Remember when the “Festival of Brexit” seemed like a really great idea? Yeah, me neither.
— Nick Tyrone (@NicholasTyrone) October 11, 2022
8.
The problem with ‘Unboxed’ wasn’t that it was unfairly labelled the ‘Festival of Brexit’, but that it was *fairly* labelled the Festival of Brexit.
— Prof Paul Bernal (@PaulbernalUK) October 11, 2022
9.
The Festival of breXit (a.k.a Unboxed) is the perfect allegory for the UK.
Ridiculously expensive.
Not allowed to call it breXit.
Dodgy use of public funds.— Trumpton (@Trump_ton) October 11, 2022
10.
Maybe the real Festival of Brexit was the prime ministers who blew up along the way. https://t.co/3j9kIEg3hg
— Robert Hutton (@RobDotHutton) October 11, 2022
11.
So many, many memories of Unboxed, the Festival of Brexit. Something to tell the grandkids. Glad we all stopped talking it down and came together to agree to spend £120m but not mention Brexit at all, just in case. Looking happily now at my blank souvenir mug. Worth every penny.
— Joel Morris (@gralefrit) October 11, 2022
12.
WHO could have predicted this? But sure bring on more 'austerity'…. https://t.co/NNe6fJbyf7
— Sunny Singh (@ProfSunnySingh) October 11, 2022
13.
This would have paid for 8 public information campaigns to advise people on how to reduce energy use and cut their bills 😑https://t.co/UGdzD10QFZ
— Good Law Project (@GoodLawProject) October 11, 2022
14.
Some visual highlights from the Festival of Brexit pic.twitter.com/dnBj1BiCin
— Lapsedcat (@Lapsedcat) October 11, 2022
In conclusion –
Can't feed hungry children,but can blow £120million on brexit festival. Disgusting. https://t.co/XB4a6jYfuX
— A Man (@Barneyonthehill) October 11, 2022
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News of a £29 million pot for the Festival of Brexit went down as well as you’d expect
Source Paul Lewis Image Karatara on Pexels