MONEY Saving Expert founder and host of ITV's The Money Show Martin Lewis has said he was "sent death threats" after pro-EU campaigns featured him on their leaflets.
His image was accompanied by the claim that he believed the UK was better off staying part of the EU.
The trusted money saving adviser said this when he was giving evidence to a committee on Online Harms and Disinformation at Westminster on Tuesday.
Phew. Glad that's over. I hope it will be useful. https://t.co/lrQNysT3E6
— Martin Lewis (@MartinSLewis) November 29, 2022
He said: “I am never afraid of standing up for what I believe in but I didn’t believe I wanted to tell people how to vote.”
Adding: "First of all, I was one of six on every leaflet and when they did testing and realised I was the most trusted it was then on the front of every Remain leaflet with a picture of me. Without my permission, without my approval.
“I was not campaigning for Remain. I got death threats on the back of it.”
The leaflet claims came from an answer he gave during an interview on ITV's The Agenda where he was asked whether or not the UK would be better off outside of the continental trading bloc.
In the interview, he said: "On balance of probability, it is more likely we'll have less money in our pockets if we vote to leave.”
However, after the 2016 EU referendum returned 52% in favour of a split, he said: “We have had a democratic decision as a country we have decided to leave.
“What we must all do now is shake hands with people who voted the other way and work to make that decision the best possible decision in the best possible outcome that we can have for the country."
At the hearing, Lewis discussed trustworthiness, bias, and the issue of disinformation.
Upon finishing his evidence session, he remarked on Twitter: "Phew. Glad that's over. I hope it will be useful."
Martin Lewis has received praise in recent months thanks to his advice aimed at helping people navigate the cost-of-living crisis impacting household budgets across the UK.
