Newly released documents reveal Tony Blair's government pushed forward with open borders for new EU members in 2004, despite concerns raised by ministers about a potential surge in immigration.
Tony Blair ’s government pressed ahead with an open borders policy for new EU countries in 2004 despite ministers urging him to re-think the policy, newly released files have revealed. In 2004, the Labour government relaxed immigration controls after eight countries, such as Poland, Lithuania and Hungary, joined the EU.Now, Cabinet Office documents which have just been made available in the National Archives have revealed Mr Blair was to delay the move.
Both his deputy prime minister John Prescott and his foreign secretary Jack Straw raised concerns immigration would surge.But another minister, then home secretary David Blunkett, said that the economy required 'flexibility and productivity of migrant labour' to continue flourishing.The Home Office had anticipated that the impact of allowing unfettered access to the UK jobs market would be fairly limited.Read more: 'Messing with kids' minds': Tony Blair calls for greater social media regulation, admitting: 'we can't go on like this'Read more: Trump renews unsuccessful calls from first term for US to buy Greenland from Denmark But three months before the borders were set to open, Mr Straw wrote to Mr Blair calling for a policy re-think.He warned that other countries 'who we thought would be joining us have begun to peel away'.Mr Straw added that 'France, Germany, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Finland, Greece and Luxembourg are all imposing transition periods of at least two years. Portugal is likely to follow suit.''If we do not think this through now... we could be forced to take urgent action,' he said. Mr Prescott said he was 'extremely concerned' that a sudden large influx of migrants would put pressure on social housing. But Mr Blunkett, with the backing of work and pensions secretary Andrew Smith and the Treasury, argued they should keep to the plan on 'economic grounds'.He argued they would tighten the regulations to prevent migrants travelling Britain simply to claim benefit
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