SWARMS of eastern European immigrants
have done nothing to boost Britain’s
fl agging economy, says a damning report.
Experts have blasted Labour claims that allowing
in hordes of foreigners would be a benefi t to the UK.
In fact, respected think tank the National Institute of
Economic and Social Research says migrant workers
increased UK output by just 0.38% in the years to 2009.
About 700,000 migrants have come to Britain from Poland
and seven other ex-Soviet bloc countries which joined
■ by MARC WALKER
the EU in 2004. Hundreds
of thousands more came
here from Bulgaria and
Romania when they joined
in 2007.
The Labour Government
claimed the infl ux was helping
Britain’s economy as
the migrants contributed
extra taxes.
Roots
But Dawn Holland, one
of the report’s authors,
described the economic
benefi ts of migration from
eastern Europe as “insignifi
cant”.
And she warned that
many thousands of east
Europeans are likely to stay
here permanently after putting
down roots in Britain.
The report found that
many have established
“support networks” in the
UK which encouraged them
to stay.
Sir Andrew Green of
pressure group Migration
Watch said: “This is an
astonishing conclusion
which blows out of the
water many of the arguments
made for years by
the immigration lobby.
“Some employers have
benefi ted from cheap hardworking
labour but the gain
to our economy as a whole
has been insignifi cant. This