JOHN McDONNELL dismissed yesterday the need for the government to spend £9 million of taxpayers’ money on pro-EU leaflets.

The shadow chancellor said what was needed was a factual and reasoned debate on the issue.

Tory ministers could be dragged before Parliament to explain the spending of taxpayers’ money on the pro-EU leaflets after a petition opposing it yesterday passed the 100,000 threshold needed to trigger a debate.

A furious row has broken out after a government-produced pro-EU leaflet was sent to every household in the country, at a cost of more than £9 million.

The move was also seen as an attempt to draw attention from the ongoing row over PM David Cameron and other senior Tories’ financial affairs in the wake of the Panama Papers leak.

Downing Street claimed the propaganda campaign was a response to polling which showed 85 per cent of the public wanted more information from the government to help them make an informed choice on June 23.

However Mr McDonnell rejected this assertion, saying: “To be frank, I don’t think there’s a need for leaflets from government.

“I’m also concerned about Project Fear from all sides of this debate. All people want is straightforward, factual information which they can make up their minds on and I think we need to ensure the level of debate is about factual information, reasoned debate.

“I don’t think there’s a need for government leaflets. There’s enough out there from individual campaigns.”

Mr Cameron also faced strong criticism from within his own party over the leaflets.

Justice Secretary Michael Gove, a leading Eurosceptic, attacked the idea of taxpayers funding “one-sided propaganda” rather than the NHS after the PM insisted it was “money well spent.”

The text of the petition reads: “We, the petitioners, demand the government STOPS spending our money on biased campaigning to keep Britain inside the EU.

“The Great British public have waited since 1975 for a vote on our relationship with Brussels. No taxpayers’ money should be spent on campaign literature to keep Britain inside the EU.”