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David Cameron says migrants trying to 'break in' to UK illegally David Cameron says migrants trying to 'break in' to UK illegally
(about 1 hour later)
Illegal immigrants are trying to “break in” to the UK, David Cameron has claimed as he defended his description of the flow of people across the Mediterranean as a swarm. David Cameron has defended his description of migrants attempting to reach Britain illegally from Calais as a “swarm” and said many immigrants are trying to “break in” to the UK illegally in search of a better life.
The prime minister said many of those attempting to get into the UK were doing so for economic reasons and he was determined to make sure the border was secure. The chaotic scenes in the French port, where thousands of migrants have attempted to stow away on vehicles waiting cross the Channel or on trains passing through the Channel tunnel, has been one of the biggest issues the new Conservative government has faced in its first 100 days in power.
He insisted, however, that the UK had been “one of the most generous countries in Europe” for granting asylum to refugees fleeing persecution or danger. Cameron received condemnation when he blamed the crisis on a “swarm” of migrants risking the dangerous crossing of the Mediterranean to reach Europe. Speaking on the Today programme on Saturday morning, he defended his use of the word. “I was explaining that there are a large number of people crossing the Mediterranean and coming from the Middle East and coming to Europe. I was not intending to dehumanise,” he said.
Asked whether the UK was doing enough to take in people seeking asylum, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I think we do. If you take a 25-year view, Britain has always been one of the most generous countries in Europe for giving people asylum.
“But what we can’t do is allow people to break into our country. A lot of people coming to Europe are coming in search of a better life. They are economic migrants and they want to enter Britain illegally, and the British people and I want to make sure our borders are secure and you can’t break into Britain without permission.”
The chaotic scenes at the Channel crossings, with migrants attempting to stow away on vehicles travelling on ferries or through the Channel tunnel, have been one of the biggest issues Cameron has faced during his first 100 days of majority Tory rule.
The prime minister caused controversy when he blamed the crisis on a “swarm” of migrants risking the dangerous crossing of the Mediterranean to reach Europe.
“I was explaining that there are a large number of people crossing the Mediterranean and coming from the Middle East and coming to Europe,” he said.
“I was not intending to dehumanise.
“I don’t think it does dehumanise people. Look at what Britain’s response has been. I made sure that we sent the Royal Navy flagship to the Mediterranean which has rescued thousands of people, saved thousands of lives.”“I don’t think it does dehumanise people. Look at what Britain’s response has been. I made sure that we sent the Royal Navy flagship to the Mediterranean which has rescued thousands of people, saved thousands of lives.”
The prime minister said many of those attempting to get into Britain were doing so for economic reasons and he was determined to make sure the border was secure.
Asked whether the UK was doing enough to take in people seeking asylum, he said: “I think we do. If you take a 25-year view, Britain has always been one of the most generous countries in Europe for giving people asylum.
“But what we can’t do is allow people to break into our country. A lot of people coming to Europe are coming in search of a better life. They are economic migrants and they want to enter Britain illegally, and the British people and I want to make sure our borders are secure and you can’t break into Britain without permission.”
The UK’s aid budget had been spent on helping to stabilise some of the countries which had been the source of migrants, he added.The UK’s aid budget had been spent on helping to stabilise some of the countries which had been the source of migrants, he added.
The Royal Navy flagship Cameron referred to saved the lives of more than 2,900 Mediterranean migrants, but it was recently replaced with a survey vessel just half the size. HMS Enterprise, which is 3,700 tonnes and 90 metres long, has taken over from HMS Bulwark – 19,000 tonnes and 176 metres – as part of what the government has called its “intelligence-led effort” to tackle the migration crisis.
On the same programme, conducted shortly after he returned to the UK from his holiday in Portugal, Cameron defended the welfare cuts George Osborne introduced in the budget, insisting his government would “make work pay”.
“We still have a large budget deficit which we need to eliminate to secure the future for our economy and make sure our country is properly sustainable,” he said. “The second thing is we want to make sure that work always pays. Without the restrictions of the Liberal Democrats we were able to do something very radical but also very progressive.”
The Institute for Fiscal Studies found that the average low-paid worker on tax credits would “unequivocally” lose more from benefit cuts than they would gain from the introduction of the national living wage. The thinktank said that 13 million families would lose an average of £5 a week as a result of extending the freeze in working-age benefits, tax credits and the local housing allowance until 2020.
Changes to universal credit, which affect the amount people can earn before benefits start to be withdrawn, will cost three million families an average of £1,000 a year, it added.
Cameron said welfare reductions were needed to cut the deficit and increase incentives to work. “If you look at a typical family where one person is on the minimum wage, with our changes to the national living wage, to the fact that we are increasing the amount you can earn before you pay tax, they will actually be better off,” he said.
“What our changes mean is that work will always pay. You will always be better off working, and working that extra hour.
“But if you are asking me, have we had to take difficult decisions in order to pay down the deficit and make sure that work always pays? Yes we have. But we have done it in a way that helps some of the lowest-paid people in our country because we are able to introduce the national living wage in such a powerful and progressive way.”
Cameron also insisted that he would keep his promise not to seek a third term as prime minister. He said a decade is a “good, long time” to be in Number 10 following suggestions he was under pressure to stay on as Tory leader.
His comments came as he made a vow that all schools will be given the chance to convert to academy status. In an article published in the Telegraph, Cameron said he “profoundly believed” academy schools were the right way forward and accused Labour of giving up on making changes.