The Brexit brigade is still going on about bendy bananas and the return of imperial measures. But it is a strategy born of ignorance or – worse – panic.

The EU has ruled on the curves of cucumbers, forbidden hairdressers from wearing heels, and even financed a porn film. These urban legends about decisions taken in Brussels are as endless as they are false. And they all get the kiss of life in the same place: the British tabloids.

Eat turnips instead of tomatoes, Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey has told Brits facing the vegetable shortage.

The staunchly eurosceptic Daily Express has published a listicle about the “amazing things we get back if we leave EU”. / “From powerful vacuums to straight banana’s (sic), here are all the things we’ll get back if we vote out,” the paper says. / The piece has been getting widely shared online. But does it pass the FactCheck test?