Andy Burnham’s dream of one day rejoining the European Union has been dealt a major blow as official figures laid bare the scale of migration from the bloc into Britain during its years as a member state.
Just days ago, the Prime Minister told ITV he wanted to see Britain return to the EU within his lifetime – and signalled Labour will fight the next general election on a platform to reverse Brexit.
Mr Burnham has also said he wants to have “an honest discussion” regarding the EU’s Freedom of Movement, but insisted this must rely on “a very factual, evidence-based debate”.
However, research of Home Office data by the Brexit Facts4EU think-tank and shared exclusively with GB News has revealed the damning legacy of migration into Britain during the EU membership years.
The figures revealed migrants who came into Britain from the EU represented two-thirds of the net migration influx over the past 25 years.
Since 2000, more than 6.1 million applications under the EU Settlement Scheme have been approved, compared to 2.6 million people coming from countries outside the bloc.
Britain’s population boomed by almost 10.6 million (18 per cent) in the 25 years from 2000 to 2025, with migration from the EU accounting for more than half of the unprecedented rise.
Speaking to the People’s Channel following the publishing of the shocking report, former Brexit Minister David Jones said: “The fundamental objection to EU Freedom of Movement was always that it deprived the British electorate and its representatives of control over immigration policy.
“Decisions about who may come to live and work in this country should be taken by ministers accountable to Parliament and the voters, not unelected European officials.”
During the Brexit campaign, the Remain camp spearheaded by David Cameron insisted only three million EU citizens were living in Britain.
However, by the EU Settlement Scheme deadline on June 30, 2021, applications had already breached six million (6,046,665), which is double the number initially presented by the Remain side.
Former secretary of state Lord Redwood told Britain’s News Channel: “Because there was a surge of non-EU migrants to the UK after Brexit it has become accepted that non-EU migration has been our main problem.
“It is true the combination of special schemes for people from Hong Kong, Ukraine and a misguided care worker plan produced a surge.
“Meanwhile, millions of people from the EU have been welcomed and been given residence and working rights.
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“The totals are large and greatly exceed the non-EU numbers which we have always been able to control if we wished. The public is so angry about the scale of this migration without thought of its impact ln communities.”
Since the deadline for the EU Settlement Scheme slammed shut in July 2021, a further 1,509,639 have been submitted.
While Mr Jones acknowledged the rights of EU citizens residing in Britain should be honoured, he issued a stark warning to the Prime Minister over the possibility of rejoining any freedom of movement agreement.
The former Tory minister said such a move would “surrender an essential power of self-government which the British people voted to recover”.
The data also revealed the staggering migrant influx was heavily concentrated by just a handful of EU member states.
Romania tops the table, accounting for a massive total of 1,424,187 applications approved under the settlement scheme.
Poland and Italy follow closely behind with 1,183,921 and 610,344 countries, respectively.
Other countries who saw substantial numbers settle in Britain under the scheme include Bulgaria, Spain, Portugal and France.
The Home Office’s recently introduced automated processing measures to approve applications uses algorithms to scan continuous tax and benefits records.
If the criteria are met, the software automatically upgrades the individual to settled status, with zero manual input of caseworkers required.
Around 115,770 automated grants have been dished out since the new system came into force – with 78,210 of these occurring within the last reporting year ending June 2026.
Lord Redwood said: “Many people who voted for Brexit voted to take back control of our borders.
“Most were alarmed by the impact of so many people coming to live here when we were already short of homes, jobs and health care.
He added: “We are not short of people. We are short of homes and jobs. Negotiating to restore Free Movement and many more EU migrants flies in the face of the Brexit vote.
“It would intensify our problems with finding jobs and homes for the many already here.”
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