Labour to curb tax credits for working EU migrants
Rachel Reeves has announced that, should The Labour Party come to power in May 2015, it plans to curb tax credits for EU migrant workers.
Reeves insisted that she did not deny the value of having EU migrants in the UK and sees Labour’s plans as being possible within a reformed EU. The plans would include increasing the length of time for which migrants have to be in the UK before becoming entitled to jobseekers allowance from three months to two years.
The negative rhetoric on immigration continues as the Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary’s proclamation that Labour will reduce tax credits accessible to EU migrants in the UK comes just days after Labour’s Yvette Cooper announced its intention to introduce a £10 fee for visitors to the UK from outside the EEA.
As the political parties begin to put together their manifestos for next May’s general election, this proposal is likely to take centre stage, along with a number of other proposals designed to reduce EU migration.