Tory MPs to press Theresa May on Bulgarian and Romanian migrants

Tory backbenchers will raise concerns about the government’s preparations for the lifting of controls on Bulgarian and Romanian migrants at a meeting with the Home Secretary in the next few weeks, I understand. Conservative MPs are becoming increasingly nervous about the situation, fearing that if handled poorly, it could have a particularly bad impact on the party’s performance in the 2014 European elections, as the transitional controls end on 31 December 2013.

One of those worried backbenchers is former ministerial aide Stewart Jackson, who tells me he is considering introducing a modified version of the 10-Minute Rule Bill that he brought before the House in October. The European Union Free Movement Directive 2004 (Disapplication) Bill would have limited the right of EU citizens to move to Britain. Jackson accuses ministers of ‘institutional lethargy’ on the issue, adding:

‘My view is that the Prime Minister needs to oversee this issue because it is a potential catastrophe in the run-up to the European elections, combining immigration and Europe.