By
Dr Liam Fox

PUBLISHED:

16:29 EST, 31 May 2014

|

UPDATED:

16:29 EST, 31 May 2014

Former Defence Secretary: Leading Right-wing flag-bearer Liam Fox has called on David Cameron to seize the ‘historic opportunity’ to control our borders

The Cabinet has been at loggerheads this week over immigration from the EU, with Home Secretary Theresa May leading calls for an end to the influx of workers from poorer European countries – and Foreign Secretary William Hague arguing that it couldn’t be done.

Here, leading Right-wing flag-bearer Liam Fox calls on David Cameron to seize the ‘historic opportunity’ to control our borders.

In last week’s European elections, voters across Europe sent a signal to the bloated, hideously expensive and out-of-touch Brussels bureaucracy.

From Denmark to Greece and from Finland to France, the people of Europe made it clear that they increasingly reject the idea of open borders and mass migration.

Some see it as an economic threat, others as a challenge to their perception of national identity.

Whatever their reasons, political leaders in Europe must take note. I have lost count of the number of people who told me: ‘I wouldn’t dream of voting Ukip in a General Election  but I wanted to send a message.’ Usually, this was about immigration. 

It is not a new issue. Between 1964 and 1980, there were more people leaving the UK than arriving and, even in the 1960s, when warnings of the cultural challenges associated with mass migration were first voiced, we were dealing with significantly fewer than half the arrivals we are seeing today. 

The UK has been, and still is, one of the most open and generous countries in Europe, if not the world. Yet, in recent times, the tolerance of the British people has been stretched more than ever.

The control of our borders will be the most defining of all the negotiations David Cameron will have with the European Union after the next Election.

It is increasingly clear that voters across Europe equate it with the concept of sovereignty. But the reaction of many European leaders and the Brussels bureaucracy has been predictable and depressing. Many still seem unable to grasp the sea of change across the continent, talking merely about slowing down the speed of integration rather than considering a different direction.

Dr Liam Fox says that in last week’s European elections, voters across Europe sent a signal to the bloated and out-of-touch Brussels bureaucracy. They ‘made it clear that they increasingly reject the idea of mass migration’

Someone should point out that only dead fish go with the flow, and I believe it is imperative that Britain swims, salmon-like, against this insidious current. Reforming our relationship with Europe, including our ability to control our borders and immigration, is central to this. 

There are two separate elements to our immigration problem. The first is the huge number of immigrants who have come to the UK in recent decades from outside the EU. In this case, we have the ability to institute proper controls if we have the political will to do so. The second is our inability to limit migration from the poorer parts of Europe.

In this case, it is because of our treaty obligations. It was Labour which shamefully mismanaged our borders, not out of incompetence, but deliberately, making immigration a social policy designed to push the New Labour multiculturalism agenda. It indulged in social engineering for the sake of electoral ambition and slammed those who disagreed as ill-educated.

Dr Fox claims that some see the notion of open borders as an economic threat, while others consider it as a challenge to their perception of national identity. But regardless, ‘political leaders in Europe must take note’

Labour cannot be allowed back to power to continue its catastrophic approach to this most important issue. The coalition Government has made a good start at reversing the direction of travel with a new target set for tens, not hundreds, of thousands. 

Yet, there are problems. The measure of net migration misses the point. If 10,000 immigrants arrive in Lincolnshire, residents there won’t be rejoicing that 5,000 elderly couples from Surrey have gone to live in Malaga, making the net migration zero. The actual incoming numbers matter as they put a strain on housing, school places, employment and medical services. 

Immigration works best when two conditions are fulfilled. The first is that the host population must be willing to integrate those coming into the country and the second is that those who are coming in must want to integrate. When numbers are too great, these conditions are difficult to fulfil. We simply must see the level of immigration into Britain reduce.

The control of our borders will be the most defining of all the negotiations David Cameron will have with the European Union after the next Election, he adds

But it is not only about how many people are coming, but who they are. Even if we get a drop in immigration, we still need to pay more attention to the individuals themselves and what they can bring to our economy.

There is a world of difference between a European banker coming to work here and an unskilled agricultural worker who ends up a burden on the welfare state. We need to think more about what those coming can contribute, not just how many of them there are. 

The Prime Minister talks about the global race we’re in and he is right to do so. Our companies are not just competing globally for contracts or investment; they are also competing for the best people.

The immigration policy we design for the UK must not only protect the opportunities of those already here, but must also make sure we can attract those who have the skills to contribute to innovation and wealth creation in our country.

We are a country whose demographics mean we must continue to see immigration to maintain the ratio of those in work to those on pensions. 

While that situation is now unavoidable, it does not mean we cannot control our own destiny. There are many examples of countries exercising a pragmatic approach to who crosses their borders.

Australia seeks engineers and those with experience in the mining industry, as it foresees huge expansion in those areas. Canada wants to build human capital within an ageing workforce by making provisions that attract young people who have work experience, higher education and language skills.

The United States has long operated a Green Card system with quotas that advantage immigrants with a profession or experience in business, the arts, sport or academia that benefits American society. We would do well to follow with a points system.

Let’s be frank, if we are going to ensure those with the necessary skills for the high end of our economy are more able to come to the UK, then the corollary will be that the numbers of those who come here, as part of our social or cultural migration, will need to be curtailed.

What I am proposing is an open and shut
policy: more open to those who have the skills we need to maintain our
prosperity and place in the world and more closed to those who, for
whatever reason, would end up placing a burden on our welfare system and
infrastructure.

Dr Fox describes the Prime Minister’s (right) willingness to veto the appointment as European commission leader of Jean-Claude Juncker (left), ‘the epitome of the despised Eurocracy’, as a ‘breath of fresh air’

That is the sort of fair approach the British people
will accept.

The Prime Minister’s willingness to veto the appointment as European commission leader of Jean-Claude Juncker, the epitome of the increasingly despised Eurocracy, was a breath of fresh air.

He is right that we need to fundamentally reform Europe for the sake of all its citizens, rather than simply focus on a new relationship for Britain. It is much easier to argue that we have created a better club than that we have simply got a better membership deal for a bad one.

Britain is lucky. We have a mainstream Eurosceptic party able to form a Government and offer a referendum. Only the Conservative party can do this. It is a tremendous responsibility and a phenomenal challenge. David Cameron will reap rewards if he seizes this historic opportunity.

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