Support to speed up Turkey’s EU bid sparks new concerns
A FURIOUS row broke out last night after a minister confirmed the Government is supporting accelerating Turkey’s membership of the EU.
The decision could see 77 million Turks – plus millions of refugees living in the country – having access to Britain by 2020.
The development, which could leave Britain powerless to turn away economic migrants and potential terrorists, is seen as the strongest reason yet to back the Daily Express campaign for Brexit.
The alarm was raised when Europe Minister David Lidington answered an urgent question in the Commons following the refugee deal with Turkey struck this week.
As more migrants headed from Turkey to the Greek isle of Lesbos yesterday, he said EU leaders were preparing for “new chapters in the accession ( of Turkey to the EU) negotiations as soon as possible”. The Prime Minister’s official spokeswoman said: “We are talking several years. Turkey is not about to join and get free movement rights today, this year or probably this decade.”
But MPs lined up to highlight the litany of abuses by the Turkish government against its own people and the clamping down on free speech – including a state takeover of a critical newspaper this week.
Tory MP Anne Main said: “Those of us in favour of leaving the EU have been pressed regularly on giving certainty about what that world will look like outside and yet today the minister’s speech has been full of caveats of ‘ maybes’ and ‘ may not happens’. Does he accept that this is now what ‘ in’ looks like for those of us who are concerned about human rights issues, freedom of speech issues and other things that come with a Turkey accession? It certainly isn’t safer to stay in.”
Eurosceptic Bernard Jenkin voiced concerns of many about a potential security threat when he replaced the word “refugees” with “terrorists” in the Commons – before quickly correcting himself.
Senior Tory backbencher Sir Edward Leigh noted that “once Turkey joins the EU, all 77 million Turks will be allowed to come to work and live here without any check or any opposition at all and there is nothing we can do”.
Ukip leader Nigel Farage said in a speech yesterday: “A vote to remain is a vote that makes Britain more vulnerable to terrorism.”
THE possibility of Britain either leaving the EU or clamping down on migrant benefits has already seen EU workers rushing to come to Britain. Nothing better illustrates the impossibility of trying to control immigration while we remain part of the EU. Even attempting to bring the numbers down ends up sending them rocketing.
And yesterday Europe minister David Lidington confirmed that the Government supports accelerating Turkey’s membership application to the EU. That could mean another 77 million people, many of them earning wages far below those in Britain, being given the right to come to live in this country.
Soon they will have even more reason to come here. When the new National Living Wage comes into force it will guarantee low- skilled workers across the continent the opportunity to earn even higher wages. And they will flock to this country in droves, putting more pressure on our public services and making it harder for Britons to find jobs.
It is impossible to blame them for wanting a better life here. But that does not mean we have an obligation to find room for them all. This country cannot act as a job centre for an EU that is rapidly expanding. But while we are bound by the freedom of movement rules that is exactly what we are.
The only way to restore proper control over immigration and bring the number of new arrivals down to sensible levels is to leave the EU. Stay in and things are just going to keep getting worse no matter what any of our politicians try to do about it.