Posted on 04/07/2006 8:53:03 AM PDT by knighthawk
Thousands of unemployed asylum seekers granted sanctuary elsewhere in the EU can move to Britain and claim free council housing. A court ruling yesterday opened the door to any poor EU immigrant to travel here and demand a home.
Has the Government gone soft on asylum?
It overturns a Government edict that local councils have no duty to help EU citizens who head to Britain, but do not bother to get a job.
Councils will now have to hand over the keys to a council house to jobless EU nationals with nowhere to live - even though they have never done a day's work in Britain.
Campaign groups warned huge numbers may now head to Britain to take advantage of the "incredible" ruling, including thousands of asylum seekers granted citizenship elsewhere in the EU.
Around 500,000 refugees are thought to have been granted nationality by our EU neighbours over the past decade. They then assume the rights of a person born in that country.
A Somalian woman who travelled to Britain after being granted nationality by the Dutch government brought the case which led to yesterday's ruling.
Judges said that because she did not have a job and was not looking for one, she was a special case. Incredibly, if the woman got a job, she would lose the right to a free house.
Sir Andrew Green, chairman of Migrationwatch UK, said the housing would have to be provided at taxpayers' expense. He added: "This case should be appealed or, if necessary, the law has to be changed."
As EU nationals, jobless migrants can freely come to live in Britain. But the rules state that to continue to benefit from this right they must either find a job or have enough money to be self sufficient.
Those who have no money and do not bother to find work are "economically inactive".
They lose their right to live here freely, and become subject to immigration controls.
But when they fall into this category they become entitled to a free council house.
Jobless Dutch citizens Has-san Ismael and Nimco Abdi took Barnet Council to court claiming they have a right to council housing.
Their lawyers said that because they are "economically inactive" they are not legally entitled to free movement within the EU, despite their Dutch citizenship.
Therefore, they are technically subject to immigration controls and because of this, entitled to housing. Barnet Council, backed by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, disputed this.
But they were overruled by the Court of Appeal - and Mr Ismael and Mrs Abdi can now claim free housing.
Mr Ismael, a widower who is the sole carer of his two young children, arrived here in February 2004, four years after being given Dutch nationality.
Mrs Abdi, who has three daughters, fled Somalia in 1993. After living in Kenya, she went to Holland and given nationality in 1998, moved to Britain three years later.
Both claim they cannot work because of childcare responsibilities - and this makes them "economically inactive".
People in this category could, in theory, be forcibly removed from the UK having not sought a job within "reasonable time" of arriving here.
But deportation proceedings are rarely, if ever begun, as they must be halted if the person takes steps to find a job, such as securing an interview.
Lord Justice Buxton, passing verdict yesterday, said their admission of being subject to immigration control entitled them to housing.
Conservative Immigration spokesman Damian Green said the Government should change the regulations.
"The consequences of this interpretation of the law are ludicrous," he said.
Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the Taxpayers' Alliance, said: "This case has huge implications for taxpayers, particularly since other EU member states do not offer this benefit."
The ruling does not entitle jobless EU citizens, including Mr Ismael and Mrs Abdi, to benefits. These can be claimed for three months after they first arrive, but only if they received them in the EU country they left.
A spokesman for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister said: "We are very disappointed with the judgment and intend to change the regulations as soon as possible."
Officials were unable to say when this would happen or whether it would need Parliamentary approval.
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Could be called "the moose anchor house act".
Never much for Brit bashing myself, (though I consider that Britain under Blair has certainly moved in the wrong direction) I must say that unless this article has got hold of the wrong end of the stick, you've got a lot of problems!
Thank you for your restraint ScaniaBoy, much appreciated.
This is really bad news for us British.
Thanks, knighthawk.
I am so sorry for the Brits. I suspect that this will damage that Nation horribly longterm.
God have mercy on them.
You're right about that. The death of the West will come about by corrupt political systems that can't be challenged. Almost like that in America right now.
That´s good. Maybe we can send our 5 million jobless to "the island"? :-) This way, Britain can help the "sick old man of Europe (Germany) out of the crisis.
Over here we have a bunch of the same parasites, maybe we can send them together.
Actually, a good idea! The UK has about the size we need for all the millions of unemployed of continental Europe. I´m sure Her Majety will be amused when she´s served Dutch cheese and German beer. :-)
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