I’ll never try to stop freedom of movement, PM tells Germans
DAVID Cameron is today expected to drop attempts to curb the free movement of workers to the UK as he pleads for help to win Britain’s referendum on the EU.
During his latest whistle-stop tour of European cities, the PM will attempt to revive his plan to stop migrants obtaining benefits for the first four years they spend in the UK.
But, writing in a German newspaper, he will pledge that there will be no attempt to limit EU citizens’ right to come to take work – even though this is a key Eurosceptic demand.
Mr Cameron will say that he simply wants ‘to stop people taking out from a welfare system without contributing to it first’.
He adds: ‘These changes would make a big difference in persuading the British people to vote to remain in the EU. Securing these changes will mean we can continue our EU partnership into the future.’
His comments came as Environment Secretary Liz Truss dropped a heavy hint that she would support the PM by campaigning for Britain to remain in the EU. She said his reforms would boost jobs by making ‘Europe more flexible, outward-looking and dynamic’.
The intervention made her the first Cabinet minister to speak out following the Prime Minister’s announcement that Tory MPs can campaign to leave the EU if they choose.
However, unlike Mrs Truss, they would risk being disciplined if they publicly made the case against remaining in the Brussels club until negotiations for EU reforms are complete in February. Eurosceptic MPs say this gives the In campaign an unfair advantage.
Mr Cameron flew to Bavaria yesterday for talks with the Christian Social Democratic Union to build support for his proposals.
He will today fly to a meeting in Budapest with the Hungarian prime minister.
Eastern European countries have led resistance to the changes – which they view as discrimination. While in Germany, the PM wrote an article for the newspaper Bild in which he urges its politicians and public to help him win his reforms to keep Britain in the EU.
Published today, it reads: ‘Like Germany, Britain believes in the principle of free movement of workers. But that should not mean the current freedom to claim all benefits from day one and that’s why I’ve proposed restricting this for the first four years.’
Gordon Brown will today wade into the debate by repeating Mr Cameron’s warnings that EU membership bolsters national security. The former PM will say: ‘We can only be sure that there is no safe haven and no hiding place for terrorists anywhere by maximising co-operation with every country opposed to terrorism.’
But ex-chancellor Nigel Lawson said yesterday that if Britons were asked if they wanted to join the EU today they would reject the idea, telling Radio Four’s Today programme: ‘There would be a majority who would say, “No we don’t”.’