Cameron defends £10m spend on '˜remain' campaign publicity

The Justice Secretary, who wants to leave the EU at the June 23 referendum, unlike the majority of his Cabinet counterparts, described the mail shot as propaganda.

The 16-page glossy document will be delivered to 27 million households across the UK at a cost of £9.3m to the taxpayer.

Mr Cameron has defended it, saying it was money well spent and the public deserved information.

Mr Gove told a BBC reporter: “I think it’s wrong that at a time of austerity £9m is being spent on a one-sided piece of propaganda.

“That money should be spent on the NHS, on other priorities, rather than being spent on one particular case when what we need is a balanced debate.”

Vote Leave, the campaign group encouraging British voters to quit the EU at the ballot box, claim they are at a severe disadvantage by not having access to equivalent taxpayer funding.

When the official ‘leave’ campaign group is officially designated next week, they will receive taxpayers’ money to carry out their publicity. However they will not get funds for design or printing.

They also claim the Government mail shot has blurred official rules that a campaigning leaflet must only weigh 60g.

A source from the Vote Leave organisation said backbenchers in favour of Brexit are furious and are threatening not to support further Government business once Parliament returns from recess unless the leaflet is pulled.

Pro-EU Environment Secretary Liz Truss who announced the publicity drive, said: “This referendum will be a huge decision for our country, perhaps the biggest we will make in our lifetimes and it is crucial that the public have clear and accessible information.”

The leaflets will be sent out in April and May before a 28-day limit on Government publications comes into force ahead of the referendum.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson who is campaigning to leave the EU branded it “very biased and hysterical”.

The leaflet tells voters that an exit vote EU would “reduce investment and cost jobs”, could push up food prices and damage living standards and that there would be “no guarantees” that flights to European destinations would rise, mobile phone roaming charges go up and access to free or cheaper healthcare on holiday come to an end.