Britain's Home Secretary Theresa May MP (in picture)  has said that there are “no further transitional controls” that the UK can put on Romanians and Bulgarians emigrating to the country after December 2013. Speaking to BBC political correspondent Andrew Marr on his weekly show, she said that the British Government would instead look at access to social benefits and health services, which the Home Secretary described as “pull factors” attracting people to the UK.

It was a different tone from Theresa May, who talked tough on immigration during the recent Conservative party conference, and there was open acknowledgment that EU law requires free movement of citizens across the Union for all and that attempting to impose further restrictions on Romania and Bulgaria would be illegal, not to mention completely contrary to the spirit of union in Europe.

May also said that she would be “looking at” free movement in the EU generally and claimed that “there are also a growing number of countries in the EU that are very concerned about the abuse of free movement.” She gave sham marriage and using forged documents as examples of abuse.

Liam Lever, liam@romania-insider.com