EU migrants should have to wait five years before they can claim benefits in the UK, says Iain Duncan Smith
Report by the European Research Group and launched by the former welfare minister proposes tough new regime post-Brexit
EU MIGRANTS should have to wait at least five years before they can start to claim benefits in the UK, Iain Duncan Smith has said today.
A report by the European Research Group and launched by the former welfare minister is proposing a tough new regime post-Brexit.
They argue there is no point in ending freedom of movement unless the UK taxpayer stops “subsidising low-paid work through access to benefits”.
Mr Duncan Smith said the ERG proposals would help the Tories hit their tens of thousands migration target, as well as bring down the £5billion spent on welfare payments to EU nationals last year.
The , backed by the ex-Work and Pensions Secretary, states: “People allowed into the UK for work should have no access to income- related, family or housing benefits for a set period.
“This paper proposes five years, although an alternative could be to require a four-year record of NI contributions.”
The ERG, which includes dozens of Tory MPs and backs a hard Brexit, is also calling for a work permit system to deal with EU migration once we exit the bloc.
They also want a cap on the number of people who can arrive here to work in different sectors of the economy – but would place fewer curbs on highly skilled migrants than we have now.
And the group, led by Jacob Rees-Mogg, wants Theresa May to ditch her Chequers blueprint for getting a deal with Brussels.
Their report attacks part of the Prime Minister’s White Paper, saying the proposed rules on social security coordination would damage our economy.
Writing for , Mr Duncan Smith said: “This means that someone in a country with much lower welfare benefits could make much lower contributions in their home country whilst then coming to the UK and claiming much larger work and family benefits as is the case now.
“This has been one of the problems in the present system which has cost UK taxpayers considerable sums of money.
“It has also led to some companies paying very low salaries, knowing recent arrivals can claim full benefits.
“The inescapable conclusion from this section is that the Government is ready to make major concessions on EU migrants’ access to benefits in an effort to seek a deal, which would make a mockery of their statement that they were ending freedom of movement.”