New research claims the UK could have been paying this much to the EU if still in the bloc (Image: Getty )
had to hand over the same amount of money this year to the EU as Labour claim they needed to fix the “black hole” in the economy.
Pro- research group say the UK Treasury would have needed to contribute £22.3 billion to the eurocrats in Brussels if the
Sir and Chancellor Rachel Reeves have claimed controversial policies, like axing winter fuel payments for the elderly, are necessary to fill a £22 billion hole in the public finances left by the .
The Prime Minister has already called for a reset in relations with the EU, but if the research from Facts4EU is accurate then Britain appears to have already made billions in savings from the historic vote in 2016.
Britain does not contribute to the EU 2025 budget as a member state due to its exit from the EU on January 31, 2020.
GB News reports the research is based on the UK paying around 13.5% of the EU’s annual budget when we were members, although HM Treasurary have been quoted as saying the figure was around 12.5%.
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Sir Keir Starmer (pictured here with EU head Ursula von der Leyen) was pledged a reset with the EU (Image: Getty )
The ‘s budget for 2025 was signed off on November 27 last year and amounts to an eye-watering £165.5 billion, a £8.3 billion increase on 2024.
According to , the biggest contributors to the EU budget in 2025 will be Germany, France, Spain and Italy.
Germany is reported to be paying 16% of that 2025 budget, whereas France appears to be paying 12.5%, meaning the UK could have been the second-biggest payer based on the new analysis.
The countries that pay the least towards the EU budget, according to figures from 2023, were Malta, Cyprus and Estonia.
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Brexit was a historic vote in 2016, and research suggests it might have saved the UK money (Image: Getty )
Big issues for spending in the EU for the year ahead include defence and how to tackle the growing threat of President Putin’s , as well as shoring up the borders against huge numbers of illegal migrants.
The UK is still part of several projects linked to the as a “non-associated third country”. These programmes include; Digital Europe, the Single Market Programme, Equality, Rights and Values Programme and the European Defence Fund.
Britain is also still part of the Horizon Europe and Copernicus projects which aim to promote scientific advancement.
In October the Chancellor announced £20.4 billion in investment for UK research and development to drive economic growth, including fully funding association to Horizon Europe research programme.