Immigration scaremongering achieves nothing - Davey

4.03.53pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 22nd Aug 2006

Ed Davey MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Trade and Industry Secretary

Commenting on the news that more than 427,000 Eastern Europeans have come to work in Britain since the expansion of the European Union, Liberal Democrat Shadow Trade and Industry Secretary, Edward Davey MP said:

"We must not lose sight of the fact that immigration is a tremendous benefit to the UK economy.

"It would be unfair to use the Government's incompetence in handling migrants from the EU as an excuse for imposing protectionist measures.

"We still do not know if Bulgaria and Romania will be joining the EU in January, and scaremongering before we know the facts achieves nothing.

"The Government must now encourage the rest of the European Union to drop their protectionist labour restrictions so that the whole of Europe benefits from the accession of new member states."