CARDIFF South and Penarth MP Stephen Doughty has welcomed bold new proposals to put restrictions on benefits for EU migrants and has attacked the Prime Minister for not being willing to ‘fight for fair play / chwarae teg’ on immigration and social security reform in Europe.

Stephen has given his backing to Labour’s new plan on immigration, to ensure that the way the social security system treats migrants from the EU is based firmly on the values of fairness, work and contribution to the economy.

The new plans were set out today (November 19) by Rachel Reeves MP, Labour’s Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary.

She has put forward a three-point plan for credible reform and said that a future Labour government would work with other European countries to:

1. Significantly extend the period that EU jobseekers wait before claiming out of work benefits from three months to two years.

2. Limit in-work benefits paid to EU migrants which can encourage employers to rely on low-cost short-term labour from abroad.

3. End the absurdity of child benefit and child tax credits being claimed for children living in other countries. David Cameron appears to have given up the fight on this saying it, “seems extremely difficult, if not impossible”.

Commenting on the new plans, Mr Doughty said:

“This government have not built an economy that works for working people and have shown that they are not willing to fight for fair play at a European level despite the rightful concerns of people across the country on a series of issues around EU immigration.

“Labour have pledged to reform our economy to make work pay, and ensure that our social security system is built on the British values of fairness and contribution. These are also the values that must be applied to making immigration fairer too.

“Our three-point plan announced today is about recognising the economic benefit that balanced immigration has made and continues to make to Cardiff, Wales and the rest of the United Kingdom, but also addresses people’s rightful concerns about where the system isn't working - it’s about fair play, what we in Wales call chwarae teg.”