What Tory backbenchers want on immigration, and what the PM can give them

David Cameron knows that immigration is an issue that bothers voters, and that the mainstream parties have snubbed it in recent years to their detriment. So his speech today is partly an attempt to regain ground from UKIP, which fought a campaign in Eastleigh that was all about immigration, bringing every gripe back to that. He also knows, as I explained on Friday, that Tory MPs are preparing for the first dedicated Commons debate on Bulgarian and Romanian migrants, and he wants to take some of the steam out of that by announcing clear measures to reduce the ‘pull factor’. Those measures, which the Prime Minister will detail in a speech in Ipswich, include:

• Cutting access to benefits for non-UK nationals after 6 months. At that point they have to prove they have sought work and have a genuine chance of getting a job.
• Closing a loophole which means some immigrants are able to claim contributory benefits when they do not have the right to work in the UK.
• A tougher habitual residence test to determine whether someone can claim income-related benefits.
• Encouraging councils to introduce a local residency test to prevent a new arrival to an area qualifying for social housing for between two to five years.
• Helping the NHS claim back money for treatment of patients who are not entitled to free care.
• Tougher enforcement of border controls: task forces will target areas of high employment and housing abuse.
• Doubling the penalties for business who employ illegal immigrants to £20,000.
• Introducing a new legal requirement for landlords to check the migration status of new tenants.

This list should encourage some wavering MPs. But don’t forget that those in the Conservative party who are really worried about the lifting of transitional controls want the Prime Minister to focus on the ‘push’ as well as ‘pull factors’. They want the government to try to extend those controls beyond the end of this year, and to crack down on the freedom of movement across the European Union. And that is highly unlikely to be something the Prime Minister feels he can do.