Tony Blair has called on the government to introduce a new UK immigration policy which “reasserts control”.<\/p>\n
When he was prime minister, his government – unlike most EU countries – did not apply transitional controls on migrants from eastern Europe.<\/p>\n
But in a Sunday Times article, he said “times were different” now, and all EU nationals should register on arrival and should already have a job offer.<\/p>\n
However, Mr Blair still opposes leaving the EU, saying it will be “painful”.<\/p>\n
He says tougher immigration policies could “deal with the anxieties” that he says led to the Brexit vote – without the UK necessarily having to go through with it.<\/p>\n
‘Restrict healthcare’<\/strong> But the new report by Mr Blair’s Institute for Global Change says EU nationals should already have an offer of work when they arrive.<\/p>\n Those who didn’t earn permission to stay would be banned from opening a bank account, renting a home or claiming benefits.<\/p>\n The report also proposes restricting free healthcare for unemployed migrants and letting universities charge EU nationals higher tuition fees than British students.<\/p>\n He argues his approach “reaches out to Leave voters to show their concerns are better met”, without “the damage” he claims Brexit will do.<\/p>\n And he acknowledges that his thinking has changed. “Back then the economy was strong, the workers were needed and actually the biggest annual numbers came post-2011.<\/p>\n “But the real point is that the times were different; the sentiment was different; and intelligent politics takes account of such change.” –<\/p>\n Source: BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Tony Blair has called on the government to introduce a new UK immigration policy which “reasserts control”. When he was prime minister, his government – unlike most EU countries – did not apply transitional controls on migrants from eastern Europe. But in a Sunday Times article, he said “times were different” now, and all EU […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[107],"tags":[3355,591,5600],"yoast_head":"\n
\nUnder existing rules, citizens of other EU countries can be removed after six months if they have not found a job, have no realistic possibility of finding one, and require support from the welfare system.<\/p>\n
\n“My government in 2004 did not invoke the transitional arrangements when eastern Europe joined the EU,” he writes.<\/p>\n
\nThe co-chairman of the campaign group Leave Means Leave, Richard Tice, said Tony Blair’s attempt to deny democracy would be seen for what it was.
\nDowning Street declined to comment.<\/p>\n