Migrant crisis ‘just proves Britain’s case for EU reform’
Foreign Secretary: We’re winning over Europe’s leaders
BRITAIN will use the migration crisis plaguing Europe to achieve its aim of restricting the number of people coming to this country, the Foreign Secretary said last night.
But Philip Hammond said serious negotiations would not now start until the New Year – limiting the chances of an EU referendum in early 2016.
Mr Hammond said the influx of migrants into Europe would help make the case for curbing numbers able to come to Britain as part of its renegotiation of its membership of the European Union.
The vast flow of people coming into Eastern Europe has finally woken up leaders of those nations to the problems of mass migration, he argued.
He said it would be easier to sell Britain’s ideas on migration – the ‘most sensitive’ area of its proposed reform package.
David Cameron’s demand that those coming to Britain should not be allowed to claim in-work benefits for four years is a key part of the renegotiations, but has been met with fierce resistance from EU members.
Mr Hammond said some countries who had previously had ‘very strong views’ against restricting internal freedom of movement were now expressing ‘the most robust views on the external migration agenda’. ‘The fact we are having this broader debate, that Europe faces the challenge it is, about migration flows within Europe of newly arrived migrants, is perhaps focusing attention of some people in a way that hasn’t been focused before,’ he said.
‘That has been our argument all along: that Britain has the capacity to deal with normal flows of migrant workers, but what has been a challenge is exceptional flows that have been disruptive for labour markets and socially as well.
‘The migration crisis has thrown into stark relief some of the issues that the EU has to deal with, some of the questions we have to address. That plays directly into some of the issues that we are raising in our renegotiation proposition.’
Mr Hammond said negotiations would begin in earnest next year. ‘Realistically the December European Council is going to represent the start of the serious and multilateral negotiations around the British package. We expect that process to accelerate in the New Year and the really serious negotiations to take place early in 2016.’
Mr Hammond’s comments came as EU leaders last night stitched up a deal to force countries to take in refugees against their will.
Eastern European countries were out-voted at a Brussels summit and told they had to welcome thousands of asylum seekers under a mandatory quota system to relocate 160,000 people from Greece and Italy. Diplomats warned that the decision to over- rule the autonomy of countries on such a sensitive issue was a ‘big moment’ in the history of the union and could lead to ‘blood on the walls’.
The Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary tried to block the plan but their vehement opposition was over-ridden after it was decided to use a majority vote at the meeting of interior ministers rather than consensus.
Britain can refuse to take part in the quota system to distribute refugees already in Europe because it has an opt-out, along with Den- mark. They did not vote on the issue, while Finland abstained.
Slovakian premier Robert Fico said: ‘As long as I am prime minister, mandatory quotas will not be implemented on Slovak territory.’
Ukip MEP Jane Collins said: ‘There is now no escaping the fact that immigration will be decided by Brussels. What we have witnessed today is four countries who wish to control who settles in their country being outvoted by foreign governments.’
The controversial decision came as Home Secretary Theresa May demanded the EU ‘get on with the job’ of securing its borders as figures showed only a third of those arriving in Italy and Greece are being properly registered.
■ Plans to hold an early Commons vote on air strikes against Islamic State in Syria have been put on hold amid concerns about Russia’s military build-up in the country. David Cameron had been expected to ask MPs for a mandate to extend RAF bombing raids against the extremist group when the Commons returns next month.
But Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said last night the intervention of Russian forces to prop up dictator Bashar al-Assad had ‘complicated an immensely complicated situation’.
‘It is focusing attention’