We must distinguish between the literal and figurative meanings.
Literally, "as much as £6m" means "the same as £6m". For example, "The amount of soup that Bob had was triple the amount of soup that Sally had" means what is says: Bob had triple the amount of Sally.
However, "as much as" is also used in a figurative way in which "as much as £6m" means "Wow! Maybe £6m! Amazing, no?"