GB News bombshell as Burnham decision 'set to benefit 450,000 illegal migrants'

GB News bombshell as Burnham decision 'set to benefit 450,000 illegal migrants' The news channel highlighted the cost to the taxpayer of Labour's migrant U-turn. Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Add us as preferred source Comments By Fran Winston , Showbiz Reporter 07:44, Thu, Nov 5, 2026 Updated: 07:58, Thu, Nov 5, 2026 Border security expert blasts Labour's migration U-turn International Border Security expert Henry Bolton has issued a warning that Labour's migration U-turn could potentially see another 450,000 migrants claiming benefits .

The Tories have declared Labour’s migrant U-turn could lead to a £5billion increase in Britain’s benefits bill. Kemi Badenoch ’s party warned another 450,000 could claim Universal Credit after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood failed to clamp down on settlement rights for the record influx of foreign nationals who arrived during the beginning of this decade. Speaking to hosts Stephen Dixon and Dawn Neesom on GB News Breakfast on Thursday November 5, Bolton explained how the numbers had increased since Brexit due to the influx of non-European migrants in the UK.

"What's happened is that subsequent to Brexit , a lot of those who were here have applied for a settlement, and in the lead-up to Brexit, applied for settlement. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT "We always knew that that was going to happen, so that...changed the numbers over the last couple of years of Brexit in terms of the European migrants. "But certainly, what's happened since is that the vast majority are non-European. So that was the unexpected consequence of Brexit.

"Because instead of the government applying tighter controls, which is essentially what everybody voted for, the government liberalised the controls for non-Europeans, and so really opened the door wide open for them. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT "So those numbers, the non-European numbers, went through the roof," he said. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT GB News' Stephen Dixon and Dawn Neeson discussed migration with Henry Bolton (Image: GB News) "Of course, for [Shabana Mahmood] and the Labour Party, in terms of the U-turn, they've got the problem that... a number of Labour MPs, a large proportion of their supporters and support base, [are] ideologically absolutely opposed to tighter immigration controls.

"I live down here in Folkestone in Kent, and the Green and Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats have all voted in the local authority to make this Folkestone, where we've had people landing on the beach, turn it into a district of sanctuary. "They're not on the same wavelength as those people like me who say: 'Hang on, we need tighter controls. We need to manage this properly. We need to manage the numbers. We need to vet the people.'

"They just don't have that sort of that that sort of thought pattern," he said. Andy Burnham's migrant policy has been questioned (Image: Getty) Strictly exit 'confirmed' as Jaime Winstone announcement sparks outrage Andy Burnham torn to shreds after King Charles humiliation | TV & Radio | Showbiz & TV | Express.co.uk His remarks came as new analysis suggested that of the 1.4 million people expected to gain indefinite leave to remain, around a third could claim benefits.

Some 220,283 people with Indefinite Leave to Remain were receiving Universal Credit in December 2025 – around 32 per cent of the estimated 690,926 non-EU citizens with settled status, according to Department for Work and Pensions figures. If a similar rate goes on to claim Universal Credit from the so-called Boris Wave, it will cost £5.2 billion. The alarming projection comes as the Conservatives try to convince voters they understand the fury over more than 4 million people moving to the UK in four years.

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