Cameron must find more EU allies, claims report

DAVID CAMERON must find more allies across Europe if he is to secure meaningful change to freedom of movement rules, a pro-EU thinktank said.

An analysis of the UK’s clout in Brussels found it was far stronger than voters believed, blaming a British “victim syndrome”.

But the British Influence report suggested the Prime Minister’s stated desire to curb immigration from new member states so far lacked sufficient backers in other capitals.

Mr Cameron has floated the idea of preventing workers from accession states moving elsewhere in the EU until their own economies were performing at a certain level.

The end of restrictions on Bulgarian and Romanian citizens on January 1 has fuelled pressure from Tory MPs concerned about the electoral threat of Ukip for action on immigration.

The report — whose contributors included Sir Malcolm Rifkind and Sir Menzies Campbell — noted that countries such as Germany and the Netherlands shared concerns about so-called benefit tourism.

A number of high-profile eastern European figures have strongly criticised Mr Cameron’s tough stance.

The report for British Influence suggested Britain was on track to achieve 90% of policy goals — despite polls showing most people thought the country was a “loser”.

Countering that gap was crucial to securing a vote in favour of continued membership in any future in/out referendum, it said, calling for stronger leadership from the Government.

PA. Sir Menzies Campbell.

PA. Sir Malcolm Rifkind.