And we can't even give firemen their pay rise?

The Bruges Group spearheads the intellectual battle against the notion of "ever–closer Union" in Europe and, above all, against British involvement in a single European state. Honorary President: The Rt Hon. the Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven, LG, OM, FRS Vice-President: The Rt Hon. the Lord Lamont of Lerwick, Co-Chairmen: Dr Brian Hindley & Barry Legg Director: Robert Oulds MA, Head of Research: Dr Helen Szamuely Washington D.C. Representative: John O'Sullivan, CBE Founder Chairman: Lord Harris of High Cross, Former Chairmen: Dr Martin Holmes & Professor Kenneth Minogue

HOW MUCH DOES THE EU COST BRITAIN? 2007 Reported in the Telegraph, Daily Mail and The Sun

Gordon Brown's Government is handing-over billions of pounds of taxpayers' money to the EU.

The combined direct and indirect costs of EU membership costs every man, women and child in Britain over £1,000 per year. As a result of the Government's surrender of the UK's rebate, and the mounting costs of pointless EU regulation, this figure is set to rise even further.

Since Britain joined the ‘European Economic Community’ in 1973, Parliamentarians have time and again called for a cost-benefit analysis to prove or disprove the benefits of membership; successive Conservative and Labour governments have consistently refused on the grounds that the benefits are ‘self-evident’. Set out in the latest Bruges Group research by Gerard Batten MEP the full costs to Britain have now been calculated.

The facts:

• Over-regulation costs Britain at least £26 billion per annum
• The Common Agricultural Policy costs Britain at least £15.6 billion a year
• Since 1973 the UK has made contributions to the EC budget of almost £213.6 billion gross or £66.3 billion net, by 2013 this figure will have increased to £299.8 billion gross, or £102.2 billion net
• Britain's accumulated trade deficit with the other EU member states since we joined has risen to £359.5 billion
• This year membership of the European Union will cost Britain £60.1 billion gross, or £50.6 billion net
• That is the equivalent for every man, women and child in Britain of over £1,000 per year gross or £843 net

That is: Gerard Batten, UKIP MEP and author of the paper, challenges the Government; "If the Government believes that membership of the EU is beneficial to Britain and that we should remain a member, then let it commission an independent and impartial cost/benefit analysis so that the supposed benefits can be proved and the findings openly debated. "If Gordon Brown thinks that the UK should be signed-up to the revived EU Constitution, then he should be open with the British people and present us with the full costs of EU membership. It costs Britain more and more every year and we would be better off out." Robert Oulds, Director of the Bruges Group, said; "The cost per minute is an enormous sum, over the course of a year the figure is shocking. To put it into perspective just £1 billion will pay for 222,000 hip replacements, or 46,893 nurses, or 38,782 teachers, or 34,585 police officers. "This money would be better spent in Britain for the benefit of the British people. Imagine what we could do in Britain with the money that we are using to support the EU and its integrationist policies. Let the British people decide if the price of EU membership is worth paying."

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