EU migrants are bringing benefits, not taking them

For reasons that seem mysterious to me, British Prime Minister, David Cameron, wants to put a halt on EU migration to Britain. He thought that stopping benefits would stop them coming, but now the truth is dawning.

In today’s Telegraph it’s been revealed that there’s now a “growing disquiet” in the Conservative Party about the proposed “emergency brake” on in-work benefits for new EU migrants. 

The reason? Because, as The Telegraph has pointed out, “around 90% of the EU nationals that come to Britain would not even be affected by the brake as they do not claim tax credits.”

This really should come as no surprise. We have known for years that EU migrants coming to Britain make a massive net contribution to Britain. 

They come to Britain to work, and fill job vacancies for which there are not enough Britons to do. 

Most of these migrants are in full and gainful employment. They are often dedicated, hard-working and highly desired by British employers. Only a tiny proportion are claiming benefits; and none came for benefits.

In extensive research undertaken by University College London, it was discovered that EU migrants arriving in Britain in the last decade made a massive net contribution to our Treasury of £20 billion. 

During the same period, British people took out more from the Treasury than they put in – a deficit of a whopping £617 billion. 

The fact is that EU migrants coming here (and to a lesser extent, non-EU migrants too) are enriching our country. 

They are helping to pay for our schools and hospitals. They are contributing to our pensions. They are mostly in-work, paying-in more than they take-out, and spending most of their hard-earned earnings right here in this country.

So, why would Britain want to put an ‘emergency brake’ on the huge benefits migrants bring to us? 

I asked the same question last week on the James O’Brien phone-in programme on LBC radio. 

Mr O’Brien responded:

“You leave me only with xenophobia and mild racism as the only motivation for the ‘leave’ campaign…”

Is that right? EU migrants don’t come here to claim benefits, but some Britons would prefer to forego the benefits that migrants bring because… they don’t like foreigners?

If so, that’s a high price the country has to pay for the disease known as xenophobia. 

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Related articles by Jon Danzig:

• A dog's Brexit?
• What does Brexit look like?  Nobody knows
• Why Britain needs migrants
• List of the latest articles by Jon Danzig

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