Britain Has Given £500 Billion to EU

The Workers of England Union (WEU) aligns with the RMT in supporting British withdrawal from the EU in the upcoming referendum. We believe the EU is anti-worker and can negotiate trade deals that undermine the UK workforce without democratic oversight. EU policies conflict with our desire for democratic accountability of MPs, and we insist that taxes raised in England should be spent by politicians who represent England alone.

The half-trillion-pound figure refers to the gross amount sent by Britain to the EU since 1973. While roughly half of that sum may be returned via the rebate, it still represents around £250 billion of taxpayer money handed to Brussels. Imagine what could have been achieved if those funds had been invested directly in England’s workforce, the NHS, or our education system.

Moreover, even the £250 billion that returns comes with strings attached—the EU, not the British government, decides how it is spent. Read our full analysis here.

Telegraph Analysis: Britain’s EU Contributions

Analysis by Vote Leave shows that Britain is expected to pay out a further £96 billion over the next five years.

Britain has paid half a trillion pounds to the EU since 1973 (Photo: Alamy)

By Michael Wilkinson, Political Correspondent

Britain has contributed nearly £484 billion to the European Union budget since joining in 1973 and is set to pay an additional £96 billion over the next five years.

“We hand the EU £350 million a week and counting – enough to buy a new hospital every week. David Cameron promised to cut the EU budget, yet we are handing more to Brussels every year.”

Matthew Elliott, Chief Executive of Vote Leave

In 2014 alone, Britain’s contribution was £19.1 billion—equivalent to half of England’s schools grant and 56 times the budget for NHS cancer drugs. HM Treasury forecasts predict an additional £96 billion over the next five years.

Eurosceptics note that despite a £30 billion budget cut secured by David Cameron in 2013 (source), the EU budget cap has risen by 2 percent annually, increasing Britain’s contributions.

The cost of membership will be a major talking point in the referendum campaign. Vote Leave analysis highlights how these sums could have funded essential public services at home.

Douglas Carswell, UKIP MP (Photo: Bloomberg)

Mr Carswell said: “We could be less than 200 days away from the referendum we’ve been campaigning for all these years. Now is the time to get stuck in and work with a broad coalition to win.”

Explore more on EU funding:

• Join a union to make your life better
• Bosses’ earnings vs average worker