Britain will force migrants from Europe to leave the country if they fail to get a job within six months, Prime Minister David Cameron announced Friday, in a carefully balanced speech designed to defuse domestic criticism of his immigration policies while also making sure to keep its continued membership of the European Union by blocking migrants from tapping into its relatively generous welfare system.
Since the 2008 economic crisis sparked recession and government spending cuts, immigration has become an increasingly bitter issue in Britain, with polls showing immigration to be voters' top concern, Reuters reported. So to make sure that he gets re-elected in May next year, Cameron issued that migrants will have to work for four years to receive some welfare benefits
The right-wing U.K. Independence Party, which won its second seat in parliament this month, has been gaining growing support and popularity with calls to curb migration and leave the EU, which allows citizens of its 28 countries to live and work across the bloc, according to BBC News.
In Friday's speech, Cameron stopped short of calling for a limit on the number of immigrants, saying Britain supports freedom of movement, but it is not "an unqualified right."
Specifically, EU migrants who don't found a job within six months "will be required to leave," and new arrivals would not be able to claim tax credits and child benefits until they had been in Britain for four years, he added.
"Immigration benefits Britain, but it needs to be controlled," Cameron said, vowing to get the EU to accept reforms before holding a referendum on Britain's membership in 2017.
EU Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said Cameron's ideas should be studied "without drama," The Associated Press reported.
Meanwhile, several other EU countries have already taken measures against immigrants who claim benefits without seeking work. "It is up to national lawmakers to fight against abuses of the system, and the EU law allows for this," Schinas said.
However the speech was also criticized, with UKIP leader Nigel Farage stating it was the speech of a "scared" politician "realizing he is out of touch."
