Romanian, Bulgarian Worker Numbers Fall in UK

Predictions that workers from Bulgaria and Romania would arrive en masse in the UK after the removal of remaining work restrictions in January appeared disproved by new statistics showing the total number working in the UK had actually fallen in the last three months.

Data from the Office of National Statistics show the total number of workers in the UK from the two Balkan states fell slightly over the last quarter from 125,000 in December 2013 to 122,000 in March.

Some politicians from Britain’s right-wing anti-immigration Ukip party had predicted that at a million or more Bulgarians and Romanians would speedily head for the UK after work rules changed on January 1.

The decline is attributed to the decision of some Romanians and Bulgarians to move on to Germany and other EU states that ended work restrictions at the same time.

Opposition Labour MP Keith Vaz called on Ukip to apologise for scaremongering. “Those, including Ukip, who promised the end of the world on 1 January, now owe the public and those [workers] from Romania and Bulgaria a full apology,” he said.

Ukip leaders are unlikely to do that - and rushed to dismiss the data as a statistical blip.

The party expects to do well in the European Parliament elections in May, with some polls suggesting it may beat the ruling Conservative Party in the election and more or less wipe out the pro-EU Liberal Democrats - currently governing with the Conservatives in a coalition.