European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso says that freedom of movement is an essential principle of the EU, and any plan by Britain to cap the number of migrants through the limitation of national insurance numbers would be illegal under EU law.
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British Prime Minister David Cameron plans to reduce the number
of low skilled migrant workers coming to the UK from other EU
countries by limiting the number of national insurance numbers
given to them.
Migrants arriving from Europe would be given a temporary national
insurance number, which would stop them from indefinitely living
in Britain or being able to claim benefits for an unlimited
period of time.
The aim of the cap is to limit immigration to under 100,000
people a year, the Sunday Times reported. About 250,000 migrants
currently come to Britain to work each year.
The policy is thought be to an important part of a tougher set of
Conservative policies on immigration. It comes as the party
continues to lose ground to the UK Independence Party (UKIP).
However, government sources say the supposed policy is
“speculation,” the Telegraph reported.
But Barroso was clear that any such move would not be accepted by
Brussels.
“The principle of freedom of movement is essential, we have
to keep it,” he said.
Cameron has promised to address the concern of voters who are
abandoning the Conservatives for UKIP, and has said he wants to
“make sure we have more effective control of
immigration.”
In recent weeks, two Tory MPs defected to UKIP, and the anti-EU
party won an important victory in the Clacton-on-Sea by-election
earlier this month. The Conservatives are worried ahead of a
separate by-election next week, fearing another UKIP MP will be
voted in.
Even Labour is being challenged by UKIP in its northern
heartlands.
Cameron has said he wants to try to renegotiate the UK’s
relationship with the EU, before holding a referendum on whether
Britain should continue to be a member. But UKIP leader Nigel
Farage said that Barroso’s comments had made it “crystal
clear” that Cameron is fighting a losing battle and that
they compromised “Cameron’s pretense that he can in any way
do anything to stop large numbers of EU migrants coming to this
country.”
Former Deputy Prime Minister and Conservative peer Lord Hesletine
struck a more conciliatory approach.
The pro-European Heseltine said that Barrosso’s comments that
freedom of movement within the EU could not be renegotiated were
incorrect.
“It’s been negotiable ever since we’ve had new accession
countries because there’s always been an anxiety that opening the
door would produce a huge number of immigrants in a very short
period of time so there’s been a phasing arrangement in
place,” he told Sky News.