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David Cameron signals flexibility on migrant benefits in EU letter David Cameron signals flexibility on migrant benefits in EU letter
(about 3 hours later)
David Cameron has warned the president of the European Council that Britain must be able to reduce the “very high level” of EU migration if he is to campaign in favour of British membership of the EU in his proposed referendum. The government has signalled that it is prepared to amend a controversial plan to impose a four-year ban on EU migrants claiming in-work benefits in a move that would allow David Cameron to campaign “with all my heart and soul” to keep Britain in the EU.
In a six-page letter to Donald Tusk, the prime minister says that the EU needs to tackle the “shared challenge” of immigration to allow him to campaign “with all my heart and soul” to keep Britain in the EU. As the European commission warned that the proposal was “highly problematic”, the Europe minister, David Lidington, told MPs the government would happily consider other proposals from EU member states.
Cameron highlights the importance of reducing the number of EU migrants in the letter, in which he sets out his four-point plan to renegotiate the terms of Britain’s EU membership. The other three demands are: In a statement to MPs on the government’s EU reform proposals, Lidington said: “Others in the EU have concerns about this. That is why we say to them: put forward alternative proposals that deliver the same result. It is the outcome of the measures – controlled, fair, properly managed migration – that is the end we seek.”
Related: Downing Street releases David Cameron's EU renegotiation letter – Politics live
Lidington indicated that the government was prepared to adopt a flexible approach on benefits after the prime minister warned the president of the European council that Britain must be able to reduce the “very high level” of EU migration if he is to campaign in favour of British membership of the EU in his proposed referendum.
In a six-page letter to Donald Tusk, the prime minister said that the EU needs to tackle the “shared challenge” of immigration to allow him to campaign “with all my heart and soul” to keep Britain in the EU.
Cameron highlighted the importance of reducing the number of EU migrants in the letter, in which he sets out his four-point plan to renegotiate the terms of Britain’s EU membership. The other three demands are:
• Protections for non-euro members to ensure that euro members cannot draw up new rules for the single market without their agreement.• Protections for non-euro members to ensure that euro members cannot draw up new rules for the single market without their agreement.
• A British opt-out from the EU’s historic commitment to forge an ever closer union of the peoples of Europe.• A British opt-out from the EU’s historic commitment to forge an ever closer union of the peoples of Europe.
• Boosting competitiveness by writing it into the DNA of everything the EU does.• Boosting competitiveness by writing it into the DNA of everything the EU does.
On migration, the prime minister said the EU needed to allow the UK to restore fairness to its immigration system. He writes: “We do want to find arrangements to allow a member state like the UK to restore a sense of fairness to our immigration system and to reduce the current very high level of population flows from within the EU into the UK ... This is a shared challenge.” On migration, the prime minister
Cameron cites the Conservative manifesto commitment to ban EU migrants from claiming in-work benefits and child benefits for four years. But he indicates he is open to negotiation in this area amid strong opposition from eastern European countries such as Poland. cited the Conservative manifesto commitment to ban EU migrants from claiming in-work benefits and child benefits for four years. But he indicates he is open to negotiation in this area amid strong opposition from eastern European countries such as Poland.
He tells Tusk, a former Polish prime minister: “I understand how difficult some of these issues are for other member states and I look forward to discussing these proposals further so we can find a solution that deals with this issue.” He told Tusk, a former Polish prime minister: “I understand how difficult some of these issues are for other member states and I look forward to discussing these proposals further so we can find a solution that deals with this issue.”
The prime minister makes it clear that if his negotiations succeed he will campaign enthusiastically to keep the UK in the EU. He writes: “I hope and believe that together we can reach agreement on each of these four areas. If we can, I am ready to campaign with all my heart and soul to keep Britain inside a reformed EU that continues to enhance the prosperity and security of all its member states.” Lidington went further when he told MPs, an hour after the release of the prime minister’s letter, that the government would consider ideas from other member states as long as they deliver the broad objective of reducing EU migration.
Downing Street released the letter to Tusk shortly after the prime minister prepared the ground to play a leading role in the campaign to maintain the UK’s membership of the EU by declaring that the EU helps to guarantee Britain’s national security. In a speech outlining his four-point plan to reform Britain’s relationship with the EU, the prime minister warned that Britain would lose its voice on the world stage if it left the EU. The Europe minister told MPs: “On the question of freedom of movement the prime minister made his view very clear: our objective is to better control migration from within the EU. There are obviously different ways in which we could achieve that. We think we can do that by reducing the incentives of our welfare system. That is why [the prime minister] set out the proposals that he made in November and repeated today.” He then added that he would welcome contributions from other member states.
The intervention by Lidington came after the European commission and the president of the European parliament, Martin Schulz, voiced concerns about the benefit plans. Jean-Claude Juncker, the commission president, has a seat on the European council, which will have to approve the prime minister’s reform plan before it is put before the European parliament.
Margaritis Schinas, the commission’s chief spokesperson, said of the benefit proposal: “Some things are highly problematic as they touch upon the fundamental freedoms of the internal market. Direct discrimination between EU citizens clearly falls into this last category.”
Related: EU migrants claiming benefits: questions the government must answer
Schulz told the BBC: “I have strong doubts about the legality of the four-year ban on access to welfare benefits for EU citizens.”
The signs that Cameron is prepared to show flexibility on his manifesto commitment on in-work benefits has alarmed some Eurosceptic Tory MPs. It is understood that a number, who had agreed to join the Eurosceptic Conservatives for Britain group, now want to merge with the Vote Leave group and an announcement is expected in the coming days.
Cameron’s letter to Tusk made it clear that if his negotiations succeed he will campaign enthusiastically to keep the UK in the EU. “I hope and believe that together we can reach agreement on each of these four areas. If we can, I am ready to campaign with all my heart and soul to keep Britain inside a reformed EU that continues to enhance the prosperity and security of all its member states.”
Downing Street released the letter to Tusk shortly after the prime minister prepared the ground to play a leading role in the pro-EU campaign by declaring that the EU helpsguarantee Britain’s national security. In a speech outlining his four-point plan to reform Britain’s relationship with the EU, the prime minister warned that Britain would lose its voice on the world stage if it left the EU.
“Our membership of the EU does matter for our national security and for the security of our allies, which is one reason why our friends in the world strongly urge us to remain in the EU,” Cameron said in a speech at Chatham House.“Our membership of the EU does matter for our national security and for the security of our allies, which is one reason why our friends in the world strongly urge us to remain in the EU,” Cameron said in a speech at Chatham House.
He added: “If the British prime minister was no longer present at European summits, we would lose that voice and therefore permanently change our ability to get things done in the world. We have every right to do that as a sovereign nation. But we should do so with our eyes open.”He added: “If the British prime minister was no longer present at European summits, we would lose that voice and therefore permanently change our ability to get things done in the world. We have every right to do that as a sovereign nation. But we should do so with our eyes open.”
Related: David Cameron's EU demands letter explained
In his speech, the prime minister once again warned that he would have to reassess Britain’s EU membership if the EU’s 27 other leaders “turn a deaf ear” to his demands.In his speech, the prime minister once again warned that he would have to reassess Britain’s EU membership if the EU’s 27 other leaders “turn a deaf ear” to his demands.
But in his concluding remarks the prime minister made it clear that he was determined to remain in the EU – and to play a leading role in the pro-EU campaign – when he cited the union’s role in helping to guarantee national security. He said voters would face the most important choice in their lives in the referendum.But in his concluding remarks the prime minister made it clear that he was determined to remain in the EU – and to play a leading role in the pro-EU campaign – when he cited the union’s role in helping to guarantee national security. He said voters would face the most important choice in their lives in the referendum.
Looking directly into the television cameras at Chatham House, he said: “You, the British people, will decide. At that moment, you will hold this country’s destiny in your hands. This is a huge decision for our country, perhaps the biggest we will make in our lifetimes. And it will be the final decision.”Looking directly into the television cameras at Chatham House, he said: “You, the British people, will decide. At that moment, you will hold this country’s destiny in your hands. This is a huge decision for our country, perhaps the biggest we will make in our lifetimes. And it will be the final decision.”
In his speech. the prime minister spoke of the need to implement the Tory commitment on benefits for EU migrants.
He said: “We have proposed that people coming to Britain from the EU must live here and contribute for four years before they qualify for in-work benefits or social housing. And that we should end the practice of sending child benefit overseas.”
This is likely to be the most difficult area of negotiation, because EU leaders in eastern Europe, led by Poland, regard the restrictions on in-work benefits as discriminatory. In his speech, Cameron said he was “open to different ways of dealing with this issue”. He added: “But we do need to secure arrangements that deliver on the objective set out in the Conservative party manifesto to control migration from the European Union.”
Cameron indicated that he was prepared to use the negotiations to warn British courts that they should not use the EU’s charter of fundamental rights “as the basis for any new legal challenge citing spurious new human rights grounds”.
The prime minister said he was also looking at seeing whether the UK could follow the example of Germany, whose constitutional court is able to rule on the validity of EU laws.
He said: “We need to examine the way that Germany and other EU nations uphold their constitution and sovereignty. For example, the constitutional court in Germany retains the right to review whether essential constitutional freedoms are respected when powers are transferred to Europe. And it also reserves the right to review legal acts by European institutions and courts to check that they remain within the scope of the EU’s powers, or whether they have overstepped the mark. We will consider how this could be done in the UK.”