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David Cameron faces TV questions on EU We can control migration inside EU, says PM
(35 minutes later)
David Cameron is facing his first major TV event of the EU referendum campaign in a live interview on Sky News. David Cameron has said his target to bring down net migration can be done inside the EU and it would be "madness" to do so by voting to leave.
The prime minister, the leading figure in the Remain camp, is also taking questions from a studio audience. In a live Q&A on Sky News, the prime minister said leaving the single market would "trash" the UK economy.
Mr Cameron, whose party is split on the EU, has refused to take part in any head-to-head TV debates against fellow Conservatives who back leaving the EU. He said the "right way" to control immigration was to ensure migrants "pay in" before they get access to welfare.
But Michael Gove will make the case for Leave and face questions in an equivalent event on Sky on Friday. Vote Leave said "real voters" have "rejected his scaremongering and don't believe his assurances on Turkey".
When asked about the net number of EU migrants that have arrived in the UK since he became prime minister in 2010, he said about 600,000 had left this country and about 1.2 million had come to live or work here. The live Q&A and questions from a studio audience on Sky News was Mr Cameron's first major TV event of the EU referendum campaign.
Mr Cameron, whose party is split on the EU, has refused to take part in any head-to-head TV debates against fellow Conservatives who back leaving the union.
But Michael Gove will make the case for Leave and face questions in an equivalent event on Sky News on Friday.
Among the first questions to Mr Cameron from Sky's political editor Faisal Islam was one on the net number of EU migrants that have arrived in the UK since he became prime minister in 2010.
Mr Cameron said about 600,000 had left this country and about 1.2 million had come to live or work here.
He described this as "big numbers moving in each direction", adding that immigration was a big challenge - but one that could not be solved by leaving the single market and damaging the UK economy.He described this as "big numbers moving in each direction", adding that immigration was a big challenge - but one that could not be solved by leaving the single market and damaging the UK economy.
Mr Cameron said the "worst thing we could do" to tackle the "challenge" of migration was to pull out of the single market. He stuck by his "ambition" of bringing net migration into the UK below 100,000 - last month it hit 333,000.
He added that there were "good ways and bad ways" of controlling migration. But he added: "It would be madness to try to do that by trashing our economy and pulling out of the single market."
The good, he said, was to reduce unemployment benefits and make more stringent demands about new migrants working and paying "into the system" before getting welfare access. Mr Cameron said: "There are good ways of controlling migration and there are bad ways.
"A good way is doing what I did in my renegotiation - which hasn't come into effect yet and will if we stay in the EU - which is to say to people `If you come to our country, first of all you don't claim unemployment benefit, after six months if you haven't got a job you have to leave, and when you do get a job you have to work for four years, paying into the system, before you get full access to our welfare system'.
"I think we should welcome the fact that people want to come to our country, work hard, make a contribution, pay into our system, but they ought to pay in before they get out. And that's what I've secured through my negotiation."
The prime minister admitted "frustrations" with the EU but said many of them had been addressed in his negotiations with other EU leaders ahead of calling the referendum.The prime minister admitted "frustrations" with the EU but said many of them had been addressed in his negotiations with other EU leaders ahead of calling the referendum.
Mr Cameron went on to say that negotiating new trade deals outside the EU would take 10 years, although it was put to him by Sky News's Faisal Islam that there would be no change for two years, while exit negotiations took place. "Sometimes this organisation drives me crazy. But do I sit there and think Britain would be better off if we left? Are we quitters? Do we think we quit the EU, we quit the single market and somehow we will be better off? Absolutely not."
The prime minister said the UK would then operate under World Trade Organisation rules with 10% tariffs, which would "hammer our farmers" and jobs. He said the EU would still exist but, should the UK back Brexit, it would be left outside the negotiating room "our nose pressed to the window, trying to find out what decision they were making. That would be terrible".
While facing questions from the audience, he also reiterated that he never wanted the UK to adopt the euro as its currency.
But he did say that if Britain were not already a member of the EU, he would apply to join on the country's present terms "with my renegotiation, the special status we have now".
'Stream of people''Stream of people'
A former NHS nurse asks Mr Cameron about the "never-ending stream of people" arriving from Europe and pressure on public services. A former NHS nurse asked Mr Cameron about the "never-ending stream of people" arriving from Europe and pressure on public services.
"The worst thing we could do for our NHS is to wreck our economy by taking ourselves out of the single market," he replied."The worst thing we could do for our NHS is to wreck our economy by taking ourselves out of the single market," he replied.
Mr Gove is among members of Mr Cameron's own cabinet backing the case for Brexit - alongside more than 100 Conservative MPs.Mr Gove is among members of Mr Cameron's own cabinet backing the case for Brexit - alongside more than 100 Conservative MPs.
While live televised debates featured in the 2010 general election, with the three contenders for prime minister - David Cameron, Gordon Brown and Nick Clegg - taking part at the same time, the format was not repeated at the 2015 general election.
Thursday's event comes with three weeks to go before the in-out referendum on Britain's EU membership and follows the BBC's studio debate last week in Glasgow with leading campaigners for both sides.Thursday's event comes with three weeks to go before the in-out referendum on Britain's EU membership and follows the BBC's studio debate last week in Glasgow with leading campaigners for both sides.
What TV debates are planned, and when?What TV debates are planned, and when?
BBC:BBC:
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SkySky
Channel 4Channel 4