EU tells Britain to stop moaning about immigrants and start building them houses instead

9/14/2014

EU Commissioner for jobs said migration from eastern Europe good for UK

Laszlo Andor said foreigners pay more in tax than they get in benefits

Hungarian official said answer to strain on services was more investment

Britain should stop complaining about European migrants and build them more housing and infrastructure, a leading Brussels bureaucrat declared last night.

European Commissioner László Andor said that the UK is ‘taking advantage’ of EU migrants who provide ‘economic and financial benefits’.

Rather than complaining about the pressure migrants put on housing and public services, he said, ministers should just spend more money to accommodate them.

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European Commissioner László Andor said that the UK is ‘taking advantage’ of EU migrants who provide ‘economic and financial benefits’ 

Last night his comments provoked outrage. Tory MP Philip Hollobone accused Mr Andor of ‘staggering complacency’.

He said: ‘The pressure on infrastructure from the number of immigrants coming to our shores is more than many communities can cope with. We have schools having to accommodate pupils who don’t speak English, GP lists which are oversubscribed and huge pressure on public transport and other facilities.

‘This all needs to be paid for and is an extra burden on taxpayers. It also increasingly makes people feel we are not living in Britain as we would like it to be –and people want their country back, and that means some control over numbers coming to the UK.’

In an article for the PoliticsHome website, Mr Andor said that free movement of people through the EU is a ‘huge benefit’ to the workers themselves but also helps employers solve ‘labour shortages and skills gaps’.

The Hungarian economist said EU workers ‘usually’ pay more in tax and welfare contributions than they receive in benefits and so are ‘net contributors to the UK exchequer’.

 

He added: ‘As a result, UK workers have to pay less tax than they would in the absence of workers from other EU countries.’

Mr Andor said that he accepts there are ‘some challenges’ resulting from migration but claimed the risk of benefit abuse is ‘minimal’.

He said: ‘In countries with significant incoming migration, there can be problems when there is a large, sudden influx of people from other EU countries in to particular towns or areas, putting a strain on schools, housing, healthcare and infrastructure.

‘But the answer to these problems is to invest in new facilities, housing and services, not to turn away people that are working hard and more than paying their share into the UK’s budget.

‘The UK authorities should listen to people where these problems arise, and be prepared to invest in new infrastructure and services to address these problems, rather than simply take advantage of the economic and financial benefits of workers coming from other EU countries.’

In November last year Mr Andor also sparked fury by claiming that Britain risked becoming the ‘nasty country of Europe’.

David Cameron makes changes to immigration system (Archive)

He said Government plans to curb benefits for migrants fuelled hysteria and might even scupper the single market.

But he was immediately slapped down by Home Secretary Theresa May, who said that his comments show Brussels is increasingly ‘on the wrong side of the argument’.

Mr Andor, who earns £212,000 per year as EU Commissioner for employment, social affairs and inclusion, also said that existing rules were already strong enough to combat ‘so-called benefit tourism’.

However, critics have pointed to Hungary’s own Jobbik Party which has called for the expulsion of Hungarian gypsies. 

Labour MP John Mann has said that Mr Andor should ‘sort out his own backyard’ before criticising the UK.

• A report by Sheffield University last night pointed to ‘rapid population growth’ in Britain as a reason why living standards are falling. However, it said that a growing population may actually be ‘necessary for economic growth’ and that the shift towards dominance of the service sector in the economy means that even stronger population growth is needed to keep the economy growing.

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