EU leaves us open to terrorism, says IDS
BRITAIN will be more likely to face a Paris-style terror attack if it chooses to stay in the European Union, Iain Duncan Smith has said.
The Work and Pensions Secretary, who is one of six Cabinet “outers”, suggested that the staying in the EU will “leave the door open” to terrorists.
He said the EU was in “meltdown” over the migration issue and had shown itself incapable of handling the waves of people from Syria and elsewhere who were heading for the continent.
He told the BBC: “This open border does not allow us to check and control people that may come and spend time.
“We’ve seen what happened in Paris where they spent ages planning and plotting so who’s to say it’s not beyond the wit of man that those might already be thinking about that.”
Asked whether staying in the EU made the UK more susceptible to Parisstyle attacks, he said: “I think the present status of the open border we have right now many of us feel does actually leave that door open and we need to see that resolved.”
He was speaking minutes after the Prime Minister warned that EU membership was essential to stop the illegal smuggling of migrants into Europe.
His comments were immediately condemned by the pro-EU former deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine.
He said: “I hope that Mr Duncan Smith’s comments about terrorism are not typical of the scaremongering that could so easily characterise those arguing to leave Europe.
“He has not a shred of evidence to support the statement that we would be safer outside the European Union. Anybody with any knowledge of how counter-terrorism activities work knows that our intelligence services are closely interwoven with those of our American and European colleagues.
“The most effective deterrence is intelligence and there is no argument to suggest our intelligence would be any stronger or more effective outside.”
Mr Duncan Smith also questioned whether Mr Cameron’s plans for an “emergency brake” on migrant benefits will curb the number entering the UK.
He said that benefits are a “small” pull factor for migrants while control of Britain’s borders is a far more significant area that needs addressing.
He also said that plans to limit the amount of child benefit that migrants can send to their home countries are likely to be “complex” to implement.
He refused to deny claims that the plans could cost more to put into effect than they will save in the long run.
The Prime Minister had originally wanted an outright ban on migrants being able to send child benefit home.
However he was forced to compromise after the proposals were met with fury by eastern European nations.
Under terms of the EU deal, the payments will be “indexed” to living standards in the migrant’s home nation.