John Baron MP criticises Government’s EU immigration policy

MP says measures risk feeding prejudices

The Government is about to present regulations curbing access to benefits for EU nationals, starting on 1^st January 2014. Under these measures, new EU arrivals will have to wait three months before they are able to apply for British benefits. The January start date will coincide with the ending of transitional immigration controls on Romanian and Bulgarian citizens.

John said,

“These measures are too little, too late and risk feeding a minority of people’s prejudices as to why immigrants come to this country. My experience of immigrants is that they work hard, and the vast majority do not come here for benefits, but because the average salary is several times larger than in their country.”

“The better option is to extend the transitional controls stopping Romanians and Bulgarians from staying in the country, to allow time to assimilate those EU immigrants already here. Given that both measures will encounter EU opposition, we should be pursing the better option.”

Notes to Editors:

• John has been raising immigration and the ending of controls on Bulgarian and Rumanian citizens for the past year, and most recently on 27^th November [‘John Baron MP supports amendment to Immigration Bill to limit new EU migrants’].
• The Immigration Bill amendment would delay the ending of the transitional controls until 31^st December 2018, which would follow an EU referendum assuming a Conservative victory at the next General Election.