The EU referendum cost almost £130 million to organise – around £3.88 for every person who voted in it.

The eye-watering sum was revealed in a report from the Electoral Commission, released today.

But it’s significantly less than Cabinet Office predictions before the poll, which suggested the cost could run to more than £140 milllion.

The Election watchdog said it spent £129.1 million on the 2016 poll, including:

• £94.5 million on administration, including running more than 40,000 polling stations in 382 areas of the UK and Gibraltar, issuing postal votes and counting all the votes made
• £1.2 million of "statutory grants" to Britain Stronger in Europe and Vote Leave, the official Remain and Leave campaign groups
• Almost £25.4 million on delivering mailshots from the two campaigns to voters and households across the UK, a legal obligation
• £6 million on a nationwide public awareness campaign undertaken by the Electoral Commission "to raise awareness of the poll and provide information on how to take part"

Labour MP Ian Murray, a Best for Britain Champion, said: "£130million may sound a lot, but it’s small change compared to the devastating economic cost of Brexit.

"Brexit is already costing the British economy £500million a week, and we haven’t even left yet. The impact of that is job losses, struggling businesses and less money for public services.

"The only way to avoid even steeper costs to our economy is to hold a People’s Vote with the option of remaining in the EU with our current deal."

If we hadn’t held the referendum, we’d have saved enough to buy more than 433 million Freddos – which is almost enough to buy every man, woman and child in the UK one a day for a week.

And it’s roughly a third of the amount Vote Leave claimed we send to the EU every week on their infamous bus.

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