Daily Express And Daily Star Take Measured Approach To Romania And Bulgaria Immigration

It's A Happy New Year From The Express And Star

The Daily Express and Daily Star have taken a calm, measured approach to the EU restrictions being lifted on Romanian and Bulgarian migrants.

The Express splashed 'BENEFITS BRITAIN, HERE WE COME!' on New Year's Day, warning of a 'migrant flood' of people coming here to take advantage of the welfare state.

The Daily Star also chose a welcoming headline for any new eastern European migrants headed to the UK, with 'NEW YEAR'S THIEVE' as its front page headline.

Users on Twitter have congratulated the papers for their tolerant stance.

The Home Affairs Select Committee struggled to find many Romanians willing to come over to the UK when it conducted a research mission in the summer of 2013.

And according to Keith Vaz, its chairman: "There are already 141,000 Romanian and Bulgarian citizens working in the UK.

"Many are self-employed. With the right to be employed they will be brought into the mainstream of the British economy, the big winner being the Treasury. Those who may have been the subject of exploitation can now move out of the shadows."

On Tuesday a Romanian foreign ministry spokeswoman said many citizens don't want to go to the UK.

Brandusa Predescu told the BBC: "There isn't going to be an invasion of Romanians... The UK will (not be) and is not the preferred destination of Romanians."

Additionally, there does not seem to be a surge of trips into Britain from eastern Europe over the New Year period, according to travel firms.

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