Fancy free blog: UK

Theresa May: UK paying 'high price for mass immigration which has close to zero benefits' BRITAIN is paying a “high price” for mass immigration, Theresa May will admit today. By Macer Hall PUBLISHED: 00:01, Tue, Oct 6, 2015 | UPDATED: 22:09, Tue, Oct 6, 2015
In a provocative Tory conference speech, the Home Secretary will say that the annual influx of hundreds of thousands of newcomers from the EU has “close to zero” benefit for the UK economy. She will warn that the current surge means an extra 200,000 houses are needed in the country every year and putting intense pressure on schools. And she will also accept that the UK simply does not need immigration at the current level and rubbish Labour claims that more public spending can mitigate the pressures on services and communities. Her remarks, is her speech to the Tory conference in Manchester, are likely to be seen as throwing down the gauntlet to David Cameron over his EU negotiation. It signals a distinct hardening of her language on immigration after the failure to bring down the annual net influx to the Government target of tens of thousands. Home Office sources said her speech will make the case for a big cut in annual net migration to the UK. But it will raise questions among senior Tories over whether a big cut in immigration is possible without scrapping EU free movement rules. “When immigration is too high, when the pace of change is too fast, it’s impossible to build a cohesive society,” Mrs May will say. “It’s difficult for schools and hospitals and core infrastructure like housing and transport to cope. Calais migrants “And we know that for people in low-paid jobs, wages are forced down even further while some people are forced out of work altogether.” She will add: “Now I know there are some people who say, yes there are costs of immigration, but the answer is to manage the consequences, not reduce the numbers. “But not all of the consequences can be managed, and doing so for many of them comes at a high price. “We need to build 210,000 new homes every year to deal with rising demand. “We need to find 900,000 new school places by 2024. “And there are thousands of people who have been forced out of the labour market, still unable to find a job. “But even if we could manage all the consequences of mass immigration, Britain does not need net migration in the hundreds of thousands every year. “Of course, immigrants fill skills shortages and it’s right that we should try to attract the best talent in the world, but not every person coming to Britain right now is a skilled electrician, engineer or doctor.” Figures show little overall economic benefit from mass immigration, she will say. Immigrants The evidence – from the OECD, the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee and many academics – shows that while there are benefits of selective and controlled immigration, at best the net economic and fiscal effect of high immigration is close to zero. “So there is no case, in the national interest, for immigration of the scale we have experienced over the last decade. ?” Mrs May will also warn that the issues of refugees and economic migration are becoming confused. She is expected to say: “People on both extremes of the debate – from the anti-immigration far right to the open-borders liberal left – conflate refugees in desperate need of help with economic migrants who simply want to live in a more prosperous society. “Their desire for a better life is perfectly understandable, but their circumstances are not nearly the same as those of the people fleeing their homelands in fear of their lives. “There are millions of people in poorer countries who would love to live in Britain, and there is a limit to the amount of immigration any country can and should take. “While we must fulfil our moral duty to help people in desperate need, we must also have an immigration system that allows us to control who comes to our country.” Tories Last night, senior Tories warned that voters will almost certainly vote to quit the EU unless control over borders can be won back from Brussels. Speaking at a Tory conference fringe meeting, senior backbencher Bernard Jenkin said: “We’ve got to be able to manage our own borders. “At the moment we have this influx of EU migrants over which we have no say whatsoever.” Immigration was a fundamental issue in Mr Cameron’s negotiation with other EU leaders, he said. “Unless something dramatic changes, this country will vote to leave the EU." “Unless we can get fundamental change in our relationship then we should go.” Fellow Tory backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg told the meeting: “we need control of our own borders.

Migrants in 'UK's Calais' told to keep out of sight as media moves in to investigate MIGRANTS descending on a historic English village who were given free hotel rooms and even a stretch Hummer limo ride were told to keep out of sight as journalists moved in to investigate. By Rebecca Perring, EXCLUSIVE PUBLISHED: 09:50, Fri, Oct 16, 2015 | UPDATED: 11:31, Fri, Oct 16, 2015
Longford, near Heathrow, west London, has been turned into a holding area for scores of migrants who are brought in by the coach load daily and then housed under a Home Office contract. Some have called it Britain's Calais - because of the growing number of economic migrants being shipped in. Traders say they are on the brink of closure as crowds of menacing displaced migrants hanging around on the streets scare away custom. Bizarrely, in one case, a stretch Hummer limousine costing £3,000 was used to ferry migrants out of the area. But yesterday a bus load of immigrants, usually a daily occurence, failed to arrive and many of the migrants refused to speak out due to overwhelming media presence which had arrived in town to investigate. Our female reporter approached one migrant only to be hissed at through bared teeth - a typical aggressive insult in many African nations. One local said he was not surprised they were lying low and added: "They know exactly how toplay this game. Businesses and locals in the village in west London, which dates back to the 14th century, suspect the media spotlight has "scared them away". Some even say the Heathrow Lodge Hotel, which is housing the migrants temporarily while their claims for asylum are being assessed, have advised them to stay inside and keep hushed. The hotel is understood to be owned by multi-millionaire Surinder Arora. Rana Saif, 55, who runs the pub opposite the Lodge, said the huge influx of migrants has wrecked his business and he is extremely close to shutting shop. The Hotel (The Heathrow Lodge in Longford) The Kings Arms pub landlord said: "It has driven me out of my business. I am leaving here because I have no money to stay. "Some of the residents have been crying about the situation. "But today it seems like [the migrants] have been told to stay inside because of all the attention this place is getting. "The hotel saw all the media attention this place was getting and told them to stay away. They are cleverly controlling it. "They know how to play this game." Migrants arriving in the idyllic village are said to have fled from countries including Syria, Iran and Eritrea with many having passed through the sprawling and notorious "Jungle" camp in Calais. Long-term resident Ray, 85, said he lives on either side of temporary migrant accommodation. Landlord Rana Saif Pub landlord Rana Saif said the huge influx of migrants has wrecked his business The pensioner who has lived in the village for 50 years said: "I've got them on either side so they just meet and have conversations in the middle of my garden. "I am fed up with it and I just want it to quieten down. "But today has been different because the coaches won't turn up again. The hotel must have belled them yesterday and told them not to turn up. "They usually arrive everyday but they didn't arrive today or yesterday. "All the attention has scared them away." Another resident who lives in Heathrow Close, where some of the asylum seekers are staying in temporary accommodation, said the usual coaches hadn't arrived to drop off food for them. She said: "They get three meals a day for £5. This could be a Tesco delivery or fish and chips. "But I haven't seen anyone arrive to drop off today. It's all very strange." Of the few migrants still in the area, many are young or middle-aged men who stay in pairs and sit on garden walls or hang around at bus stops. When approached by Express.co.uk, they appeared reluctant to talk and claimed "I don't speak English". The temporary accommodation is being rented out to the Home Office for refugees, with rooms available for £30 a day. When approached by Express.co.uk, Heathrow Lodge refused to comment on the claims only insisting that "a coach had arrived this morning". The Home Office provided a general statement but refused to comment on whether or not coach arrivals had been stopped because of the media glare It read: "The UK has a proud history of granting asylum to those who need it and we are committed to providing safe and secure accommodation while cases are being considered. "Decisions on the use of the hotel accommodation, including which premises are used, are made by individual contractors who beat the cost "We have made clear to our providers that the use of hotels is only ever acceptable as a short term contingency measure. "We are taking steps with providers to ensure that this is the case"