Fewer EU citizens are registering for national insurance numbers in Havering than before the Brexit vote, the latest figures reveal.

The The statistics, from the Department for Work and Pensions, show how many foreign nationals have successfully applied for NI numbers, which are required to work or claim benefits.

Last year 1,801 people from the EU registered for NI numbers.

In the 12 months up to June 2016, the month of the referendum, 2,240 people registered, 439 more than in 2017.

The data divides the European workers into three groups.

It identifies people from the EU15, which are countries that joined the bloc before 2004, like France, Spain and Germany.

The EU8 countries joined in the 2004 enlargement, and include nations such as Poland and the Czech Republic.

The EU2, Romania and Bulgaria, joined in 2007, but could not move to the UK to work until 2014.

Romford MP Andrew Rosindell said: “I have always been committed to ensuring Britain attracts the brightest and the best from around the world, but uncontrolled immigration puts pressure on schools, hospitals and transport.

“That’s why I support the Government in delivering annual net migration in the tens of thousands, not the hundreds of thousands.

“After Brexit, the U.K. can decide its own immigration policy and Britain will adopt a system that puts the needs of our country first and builds a more cohesive society. This is not to say that E.U. citizens are not an integral part of the economic, cultural and social fabric of our country and I have always been clear that their rights must be secured.”

Dagenham and Rainham MP Jon Cruddas said: “It’s definitely an interesting statistic, but it is also important to note that in my constituency this has had no impact on employment rates, as pre-referendum unemployment was at 3.1pc and in January 2018 it was 3.1pc - so fewer EU citizens has not led to more jobs for local people as was predicted by many.

“In fact, the unemployment rate for Romford has risen since the EU referendum by 0.2pc so despite having 439 fewer residents vyng for work in 2017, there were less people actually in work.”

In 2017, 1,151 Romanian or Bulgarian nationals signed up for NI numbers, 212 fewer than before the Brexit vote.

It could be due to post-Brexit uncertainty or other factors such as the improvement of the economies in residents’ home countries.

Poland, for example, currently has a record low unemployment rate.

The number of applicants from outside the EU has also decreased.

A total of 465 people from the rest of the world registered for NI numbers last year, a drop of 19 on the period before Brexit.