Honeypot Britain? EU migrants’ benefits and the UK referendum

Ahead of Britain's EU referendum, research will explore the experiences of EU migrants working in the UK, and attitudes to employment and social security - for which there is little empirical evidence, despite intense political rhetoric. An initial study suggests workers from the EU are significantly under-represented in employment tribunals. Accusations that the UK has become a 'honeypot nation' has become a key issue in the debate about the UK's membership of the EU - Amy Ludlow A new Cambridge University research project is gathering "robust empirical evidence" on the experience of EU migrant workers in the UK, exploring everything from hopes and expectations to how they find work and what use EU migrants make of benefits. The research is timely, as perceptions of EU migrants undercutting British workers or acting as 'benefits tourists' are fuelling much of the debate in the lead-up to June's EU Referendum. Some MPs are warning that Britain has become a "honeypot nation" with its social security system acting as a primary pull factor, leading to David Cameron's negotiation of a so-called 'emergency brake' on benefits for EU migrants. However, critics argue that the government have been consistently unable to provide any evidence that this is the case. For example, last week's response to a Parliamentary question on the amount spent on benefits to EU migrants was simply: "the information is not available" .