Fury over UK’s migrant opt-out

THE Prime Minister angered his German and Italian counterparts yesterday after refusing to take part in a programme to relocate 40,000 Mediterranean migrants.

British sources said David Cameron was confronted during dinner in Brussels by both Angela Merkel and the Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi after insisting he would stick to the UK’s opt-out on the issue.

Yesterday Mr Cameron said he had warned EU leaders that the relocation plan would be ‘ counter- productive’, as it would send a signal to migrants in Africa that it was worth attempting the perilous journey across the Mediterranean.

He said he had urged action to tackle the problem ‘at source’, including measures to dismantle people smuggling gangs.

However, British sources pointed out that Mr Cameron had already quietly agreed to expand a ‘ resettlement’ scheme for refugees from Syria and other war-torn regions in recent days. A source said the UK would now take ‘more than a thousand’ refugees a year. The figure is expected to include around 800 refugees from Syria over the next three years – around three times the original plan.

EU leaders traded insults over the issue during an acrimonious seven-hour dinner meeting that finally ended at 3am yesterday.

Mr Renzi was pitched against countries including Hungary, Poland and Lithuania, which were reluctant to accept mandatory quotas of refugees.

He accused opponents of lacking ‘solidarity’, adding: ‘If you don’t want to take the 40,000 you are not fit to be called Europe.’

Labour leadership hopeful Andy Burnham has called for major reform of immigration and border rules across Europe to prevent ‘mass movements’ of people to Calais. He also backed limits on free movement within Europe to stop people coming to Britain to claim benefits.