The five charts that expose how wannabe PM Andy Burnham is boxed in over Brexi

Making his Westminster comeback, previous comments made by Mr Burnham over the UK’s relationship with the EU resurfaced. Speaking at a Labour Party Conference in October 2025, he said: “I would want to rejoin. I hope in my lifetime I see this country rejoin the European Union. I’m absolutely clear about that… The European Union benefited this country.”

In May, before the Makerfield by-election which paved Mr Burnham’s way back to Westminster, the then-Greater Manchester mayor promised he would not “re-run” Brexit arguments.

The Makerfield constituency voted 65 per cent in favour of Brexit in June 2016.

At a conference in Leeds, he said: “My view is that Brexit has been damaging, but I also believe the last thing we should do right now is re-run those arguments.”

He added: “I am not proposing that the UK considers rejoining the EU.

“I respect the decision that was made at the referendum and it is going to undermine everything I have said about strengthening democracy if we don’t respect that vote.”

However, in their new report the think-tank wants Mr Burnham to completely U-turn on his claims Brexit was damaging for the UK economy.

As part of their demand, the think-tank conducted an investigation, exclusively sharing with GB News, how Mr Burnham’s claims are false.

Illustrating their argument through data on the state of the UK’s finances and economy, Facts4EU has concluded Mr Burnham has “nowhere to go except embrace honesty”.

Reform UK’s deputy leader, Richard Tice has backed the report, describing it as “starkly clear” and agreed leaving the EU has not “caused an economic collapse”.

He said: “We’ve had no say in the choice of a new Prime Minister who will be foisted on us in a matter of days. With no democratic legitimacy, this is bad enough, but on top of this, we have no idea what he really stands for.

“What this report makes starkly clear, however, are his views on Brexit. The report’s challenge to Andy Burnham is equally clear. Does he know any facts about it at all, or is he just trotting out the same old Labour ideology of ‘Brexit bad, EU good’?

“These five charts from Facts4EU and GB News give us all the facts. Brexit has not caused an economic collapse as Burnham and his prophets of doom threatened.

“Our economy has grown significantly since the Referendum in every way. Will he now admit this, faced with the incontrovertible truth in this report?”

Using data from the Office of National Statistics, the think-tank explains the UK’s GDP has grown in real terms since the referendum, contrary to what the Government and Rejoin campaigners say.

They claim leaving the EU has damaged GDP by 4/8 per cent.

However, Post-Brexit Britain’s GDP has in fact outgrown the EU’s top three countries in real terms, with the UK (12.9 per cent) sitting on top of France (-0.1 per cent), Italy (-2.8 per cent) and Germany (-6.9 per cent) in Q1 of 2026 compared to Q2 of 2016.

The UK growth rate, after excluding the effects of inflation, is double that of the EU’s economic powerhouse, Germany.

The second chart shows how GDP per capita in real terms has grown in the UK.

From 2015 to 2024, the UK’s GDP per capita rose from £37,936 to £40,172 – a 5.9 per cent increase (£2,236).

The impact Brexit would have on the job market was a topic of debate during the referendum, with then-Chancellor George Osborne warning up to 820,000 jobs were at risk as an “immediate consequence” if the public voted Leave.

However, Brexit Facts4EU has shown the number of people in work is 2.4 million higher than at the time of the Referendum.

This is a 7.6 per cent uptick in people in work, even though the UK job market suffered due to Covid and the “benefits generation”, the think-tank argued.

In another blow to Brexit sceptics, Facts4EU have shown British exports are higher in real terms compared to the time of the referendum.

The UK exported 17.6 per cent more at the end of 2025 than in June 2016.

Exporting more goods and services is a likely consequence of the UK striking new trade deals with some of the world’s fastest-growing economies, such as India, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the US.

Such deals were not possible to make while in EU membership, Brexit Facts4EU argues.

In a final blow to Mr Burnham’s claims, the think-tank has shown UK business investment has grown compared to when it was an EU member.

In the last 12 months to June 2016, the UK’s business investment sat at £266.5billion, whereas in the last 12 months to December 2025, that figure is at £311.1billion – a 16.7 per cent increase.

Former Single Market Minister Lord Redwood told GB News and Facts4EU: “Andy Burnham has flip-flopped over Waspi women, fiscal rules, social housing targets in Manchester, over being Mayor, and much else before he has even become PM.

“His most dangerous U-turn could be over the EU. He has always wanted the UK to rejoin and has wrongly claimed Brexit did harm.

“Yet he promised his Makerfield constituents he would not try to take us back in. Will he keep his word? Will he really apply a Makerfield test to an EU Re-Set?

“The people of Makerfield will tell him that giving away our law-making powers and more of our money to the EU in a hopeless attempt to win friendship is a bad idea.

“I bet he ignores them once he is snug in Downing Street. Expect betrayal of their good sense to vote Leave.”

Given Mr Burnham will have had access to state resources, the think-tank is asking the prospective PM whether he accepts the official economic facts about the Brexit economy. If he does, Mr Burnham has been told to disassociate himself from Sir Keir Starmer’s statement that Brexit “did deep damage to our economy”.

Since Britain left the EU, a damaging campaign has told the public the country is poorer, that jobs would disappear, investment would dry up, and trade would collapse, but as the charts above demonstrate, the UK economy is larger than it was at the time of the Referendum. GDP per head has risen. Employment has risen by 2.4 million. Exports are substantially higher. Businesses are investing more than before.

Lord Redwood continued by praising the think-tank’s investigation, calling it a “great coup”.

He said: “Once again Facts4EU have pulled off a great coup, setting out brilliantly how there has been no economic damage from Brexit.

“Project Fear in the Referendum got it all wrong. They predicted rising unemployment, but it fell. They predicted falling GDP but it rose. They predicted less trade, but it surged. Out of the EU, the UK has saved the billions written on the side of the campaign bus.

“We have negotiated trade agreements with India and TPP which the EU did not do. We have seen a big increase in service sector exports which the EU never assisted or promoted. We have regained our seat and vote on the World Trade Organisation and have taken EU tariffs off many of our global imports.

“The UK can benefit much more from using our new freedoms to choose our own laws and set our own taxes.”

Brexit Facts4EU has approached the MP for Makerfield for comment.