Theresa May downgrades Cameron pledge to reduce net migration

Report of comments relating to immigration to the United Kingdom made by the UK's Home Secretary (Interior Minister) Theresa May in a radio interview on the 10 November 2014. She suggested that the government would admit that it had failed in Prime Minister David Cameron's 2011 pledge to reduce annual migration to below 100,000.

According to The Guardian newspaper, Mrs May indicated that the cause of the failure was Britain’s inability to control migration from within the EU. The same source stated that ministers were now admitting they would fail to meet the target by the time of the general election in 2015.

Mrs May made the same point in a tv interview on the 23 November 2014 ahead of an expected and anticipated speech by UK Prime Minister David Cameron on immigration policy and free movement within the EU.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Number of Romanian and Bulgarian workers in UK falls http://www.europeansources.info/record/number-of-romanian-and-bulgarian-workers-in-uk-falls/

ESO: Background information: Britain 'under siege' from migrant EU workers, says defence chief http://www.europeansources.info/record/britain-under-siege-from-migrant-eu-workers-says-defence-chief/

ESO: Background information: David Cameron promises 'one last go' at EU migration curbs http://www.europeansources.info/record/david-cameron-promises-one-last-go-at-eu-migration-curbs/

ESO: Background information: UK exit better than restricting free movement, says German Chancellor http://www.europeansources.info/record/uk-exit-better-than-restricting-free-movement-says-german-chancellor/

Blog: Open Europe, 13.11.14: IDS sets out broad strokes of reforms to EU free movement http://openeuropeblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/ids-sets-out-broad-strokes-of-reforms.html

BBC News, 23.11.14: Immigration target unlikely to be met, says Theresa May http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30167160

The Guardian, 23.11.14: Theresa May: government likely to miss ‘tens of thousands’ immigration target http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/nov/23/theresa-may-home-secretary-government-migration-target-fail-likely

EurActiv, 24.11.14: Tories say likely to fail to cut immigration http://www.euractiv.com/sections/uk-europe/tories-says-likely-fail-cut-immigration-310244

The Guardian, 24.11.14: Benefits restrictions on in-work EU migrants ‘would be discriminatory’ http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/nov/24/benefits-ban-work-eu-migrants-discrimination

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