Malta, Italy and Greece were in for a terrible shock if they believed Europe would provide migrant solidarity, UKIP leader Nigel Farage has told Times of Malta.
“If you think you’re a part of some collegiate European Union to help you out of the migrant crisis, you’ve got another thing coming. Look at the elections in Denmark, Finland. Look at the rise of parties across Europe which will say no [to helping with migrants]. You’ve got a major problem,” Mr Farage, who ran for the UK elections on an anti-EU, anti-migrant ticket, said.
Fractious European leaders argued into the early hours of yesterday over how to handle over a migrant crisis in the Mediterranean, eventually agreeing a plan to share out the care of desperate people fleeing war and poverty in North Africa and the Middle East.
The EU-sceptic Mr Farage warned against “waves of millions” of people from Africa coming to Europe if the EU agreed a common policy for tackling migrant deaths in the Mediterranean.
Look at the rise of parties across Europe which will say no.You’ve got a major problem
He made it a point to highlight David Cameron’s failure so far to rally support for a treaty change ahead of Britain’s in/out referendum in 2017.
Mr Cameron called Prime Minister Joseph Muscat on Wednesday night to ask for support for Britain’s plan to amend the EU treaty. Dr Muscat said Malta would not accept EU treaty changes by stealth. Mr Farage said Britons’ expectations had been raised because they had been told a better deal was coming, and if a better deal was not hammered out, they might question the point of remaining EU members.
He dismisses suggestions that Britain faces problems if it had to leave the EU.
“What is the cost of Britain leaving the EU? That Mercedes stops selling its cars in London? We’re now the EU’s biggest exporters in the world. Freedom of movement? I want to end that. Freedom of movement has damaged the British health service and education system and driven down the wages of British workers. It’s benefitted the big land owners, the multinationals. If you’re rich you’ve benefitted. I want to have the Australian points system that we can choose whoever comes to Britain,” he charged.