15.33: Gianni Pittella, the Italian leader of Socialist MEPs in the European Parliament, tells Cameron he can't be a picky eater with the menu of Europe Well, he said it better: "It is not something that we agree with. Europe is not a menu where you can choose what you like and throw what you don't like in the garbage. We don't want to see Mr Cameron chasing after Ukip on this issue. He should stick to European values. 15.24: Philip Davies welcomed David Cameron's immigration speech, but pushed him to go further, and leave the EU. Mr Davies, the MP for Shipley is a member of the Better Off Out group, regularly confronts Cameron over Europe so his views are perhaps not that surprising. The MP "I want to get all powers back. We want to go in the same direction; I would go much further than him. He probably hopes that he can renegotiate acceptable terms for staying in the EU. I just don't think that's possible. The EU are never going to give up on free movement of people. Whilst that's the case, I don't think that will be acceptable to the British public. 15.09: Here is the video of the alarm going off during Cameron's speech 14.54: The European Commission is clearly unhappy with David Cameron's implied threat of leaving the EU if he doesn't get his way. Bruno Waterfield sends this: Asked if "slamming the door" was a helpful way to negotiate, the commission and Jean-Claude Juncker's spokesman replied: "We have to look at these British views without melodrama to see how we can address these issues between partners. Slamming the door? No, that does not constitute calm dialogue without melodrama. These are UK ideas and they are part of the debate. They will have to be examined without drama and should be discussed calmly and carefully. It is up to national lawmakers to fight against abuses of the system and EU law allows for this. Juncker: Tired of the melodrama 14.31: Isabel Hardman has written a column for The Spectator entitlted: Enraged euro-rebels threaten trouble after Cameron's immigration speech fails to satisfy She writes: "Based on conversations I've had this morning with the key movers and shakers in the eurosceptic wing of the Tory party, he hasn't got very close to settling the issue at all. Indeed, I suspect that there will be trouble before long. 14.25: Tomas Prouza, the Czech Europe minister, has tweeted a picture of WW2 Czech fighter pilots and wrote: "These Czechs "worked" in the #UK for less than four years. No benefits for them? Bruno Waterfield reports from Brussels that the picture is off 310 (Czech) squadron, Hurricanes. Six of them did not survive the war: 14.03: Mr Clegg himself has been on the television to warn not to "repeat the mistakes of the past" by over promising on immigration I think some of the ideas from David Cameron are sensible and workable. He added: "I think the danger for the Conservatives is that they repeat mistakes of the past, where they've over-promised and under-delivered on immigration, as they did on the net immigration target, which they've missed, and that does a great deal of damage to public confidence in the immigration system." 14.01: Lib Dem sources have described David Cameron's claim that Lib Dem stalling is partly to blame for missing migration targets is "a transparent attempt at buck-passing" A senior Liberal Democrat source said: "It's a transparent attempt at buck-passing for the Conservatives to suggest anyone other than themselves are responsible for their embarrassing failure to meet their promise on net migration targets. If they were really serious about restoring public confidence in the immigration system and taking real action to tackle immigration, they would have been much swifter in implementing the Liberal Democrat policy of proper border checks, which they have dragged their feet on for far too long. 13.38: Mike Penning a little more on message on the net migration target than Matt Hancock In good faith the prime minister made the statements that he made, I think we all would accept they were in good faith but he could not have predicted the catastrophic eurozone economic catastrophe. If one method doesn't work you try another. If you are actually out there trying to make negotiations and you feel you are not getting somewhere with one you will try another. 13.26: Rachel Reeves has been on the radio saying boasting that Labour are being tougher on labour market regulations than the Tories When challenged by Andrew Neill on the Daily Politics she said she was not being "nasty" to migrants but that it was common sense. I don't think this is about being nasty, Andrew, because saying that we should enforce the minimum wage and that jobs should be advertised in this country, I think that is common sense and we're not doing any favours to migrant workers or to workers in our country if we don't enforce our labour market rules. 12.51: Keith Vaz, Labour MP and chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee Mr Vaz said nothing David Cameron said on EU migration today could stop someone from coming from the EU to the UK to work. He said: "It's a big problem because we rely on surveys, and on guess work [to know how many people are coming in and out of the UK]. What we need is what the Prime Minister has promised today. Which is exit checks. We need to know everyone who comes in, we're almost there, we're about 1% out. We need to know who goes out. But the one thing we simply cannot control, and there's nothing in the speech that seeks to control it, is the level of EU migration. Somebody can fly from Warsaw to London and not be impeded by anything that has been said today by the Prime Minister. And those who come, come to work, they don't actually come to claim benefits. 12.22: Mr Hancock seems to be slightly off-message saying with his comments on the pledge - Theresa May said at most it is an "objective we are working towards" Here's the history of that net migration pledge: 2010: The Pledge We would like to see net immigration in the tens of thousands rather than the hundreds of thousands. David Cameron, Jan 2010 2010 Net migration: 244,000 2011: No Ifs, No Buts Levels of immigration can return to where they were in the 1980s and 90s. Net migration to this country will be in the order of tens of thousands each year. That's a promise we made to the British people.' David Cameron, April 2011 2011 Net migration: 263,000 2014: It's an... objective When we made that comment ... we were very clear that was what we wanted to do. It remains the objective towards which the Prime Minister and others are working. Theresa May, Nov 10, 2014 2014: It's... unlikely It is, of course, unlikely that we are going to reach the tens of thousands by the end of the Parliament. Theresa May, Nov 23, 2014 12.17: Matthew Hancock, the business minster, has said that the target of bringing immigration to the tens of thousands is still a "a commitment, a promise" He was also unable to say how many non-EU migrants had moved to Britain in the last year. 12.14 David Cameron: Other EU countries stopped my plans for a cap on migrants Christopher Hope reports on Mr Cameron's comments that EU countries have blocked his plans for a cap on migrants: David Cameron abandoned plans for a cap in immigrant numbers coming to the UK because other European Union countries would have made it unworkable. The Prime Minister said he wanted to set out what will work in practice, rather than try to agree with other EU countries an acceptable cap on migrant numbers. He said: "To me what is most important here is the economic incentives there are that are bringing people to our country. That is both in the incentives we create by not having a hardworking welfare system and not by improving fast enough our education standards, but also what we do to attract people from within the EU to come. Changing those economic regards will be the biggest change we can make. That will be effective. When I compare that with negotiating some sort of EU-led EU-determined brake and applied probably by the European Commission I don't actually think that would be effective because there are countries with very high levels of immigration that don't want the sort of controls that I want to put in place. So this is what will work. He declined a direct question to apologise for failing to meet his pledge to get net migration to less than 100,000 by May next year. He said: "I want to get net migration back to the tens of thousands which it was in the 1990s. This is not some outlandish unachievable pledge. We were an open economy then, we were a trading economy then, we welcome students from around the world then. But obviously when I made that commitment I didn't know that the Eurozone was going to be potentially having three recessions in six years, and that has been a major barrier to its achievement. There is more that needs to be done. Time will require long term decisions and what I have tried to do today is to examine really carefully what will work. 12.09 Ed Miliband: The Prime Minister has "no credibility" on immigration David Cameron has absolutely no credibility when on immigration. This is somebody who made a promise at the last general election. He said no ifs, no buts, he will get net migration down and it's gone up. And he actually said "kick us out in five years if we don't deliver." Well, I certainly agree with that. Honestly, David Cameron's got no credibility on immigration and, frankly, people aren't going to believe his new promises when he's broken his old promises. 12.08: Boris Johnson says David Cameron was right to put in the measures, but warned against keeping talented people out I think he's entirely right to want to put in place measures that stop too much of a pull-factor, too much of a suction effect which brings people to the country that might just want to make use of the benefits system. On the other hand you've got to make sure that you don't keep out people that can be of value to our economy. There's no question, when I look at London over the past 10, 20 years, London's done very well from being able to bring in talented people. So there's a balance to be struck. 11.54: Nigel Farage: David Cameron should have said sorry for letting so many people come to Britain in the first place Nigel Farage told Radio 5 Live: "I watched every single word of it, I was a bit surprised, I was expecting to hear the word sorry." What we are seeing is the Prime Minister playing catch up, that is what he does. He added: "it has taken him ten years to regonise what we are talking about namely that in-work benefits don't work." Mr Farage says the Prime Minister should not have said the word "control" in his speech without promising to reform freedom of movement. He added on Twitter: " "Yes, Mr Cameron *does* owe the British people an apology for his broken promise on net migration. He was asked for one today. He dodged. 11.31: Katja Hall, the CBI Deputy Director-General, is less welcoming of Mr Cameron's speech The UK's openness to trade, people and investment has been the foundation of Britain's success in the past and will remain central in the future. Immigration has helped keep the wheels of this recovery turning by plugging skills shortages and allowing UK firms to grow. Freedom of movement to work is essential to businesses getting access to the best talent and equally offers British citizens the chance to take up a job anywhere across the EU. Businesses agree that we must ensure the system rewards those here to work, not the few who do not contribute. But the EU matters to the future of British jobs and growth so we must work with allies to secure reform. The Government and businesses need to do more to ensure growth benefits everyone and that means not only helping more people into work, but equipping them with the skills they need to move up the career ladder. 11.28: Some more reaction to the speech 11.19: Simon Walker, Director General of the IoD, welcomed the speech but said high levels of net migration show that Britain's economy has come a long way from the "economic basket case" of the 1970s He said: "The Institute of Directors supports the measures announced by the Prime Minister today on EU immigration. David Cameron rightly says that there are no simple solutions to what has become a politically disruptive issue. IoD members have welcomed - and benefited from - immigrants from other EU member states who work diligently and effectively, often in jobs for which there are few British applicants. But business cannot be deaf to broader public concern. There is genuine disquiet about pressure on schools and hospitals in many parts of the country. It is important that all immigrants come to the UK with a purpose and a willingness to contribute productively to the community. however he addes that high levels of net migration reflect Britain's economic success. There was no such problem when Britain was an economic basket case in the 1970s and high levels of emigration were complemented by a lack of desire to move here. Tough though it will seem, public concerns about immigration have been effectively answered by this package. It is high time to get on with the far more important European related priorities: completing the single market in services and the digital economy, sealing the TTIP trade relationship between Europe and the United States and tackling burdensome EU social and employment policy. If business can recognise that concerns need to be addressed in a constructive and practical manner, the rest of the EU should be willing to help find a way forward as well. 11.15: Natalie Bennett, Green Party Leader, has said that David Cameron speech is addressing "non-existent problems" She told The Telegraph: "This is a speech addressing non-existent problems - the government has not been able to produce evidence of systemic 'benefits tourism' or 'health tourism'. We have major problems in Britain with low wages, with housing shortages and high costs, with crowded schools and hospitals. These are not caused by immigration, but by failures of government policy. An inadequate minimum wage, inadequately enforced, is a key issue. Another is housing policy - continuing the privatisation policy that is Right to Buy, failing to allow councils to borrow to build new council homes, encouraging runaway private sector rents. And the NHS needs investment, schools need to be brought back under local authority control to allow sensible planning and resource use. These are the issues Mr Cameron should have been talking about today to address the real needs of Britain, instead of choosing to pander to the electoral priorities of Ukip. Natalie Bennett: This is a non-existent problem 11.08: Cameron on Andrew Mitchell: "It is never right to be abusive or rude to a police officer" Christopher Hope also asked him if Mr Mitchell owed the police offer he called a pleb an apology. Mr Cameron said: ""It is never right to be abusive or rude to a police officer, it is extremely important. We have had a court case, this is how we do things in this country, the judge has been very clear in his verdict and I think everyone should accept that verdict and move on. 11.05: "There is no doubt that some communities face particular pressures" from immigration Christopher Hope, Senior Political Correspondent, pushed Mr Cameron for some more details on the fund to tackle issues with communities struggling with influxes of migrants Mr Cameron said: "Even with a reduction in immigration there is no doubt that some communities face particular pressures because of the structures of the labour market and other factors, I think a fund that can more directly hope those communities would be very worthwhile and that is what we are going to put in our manifesto and put in place." 10.54: Mr Cameron ended with a tribute to his uncle Sir William Dougdale I am attending the funeral of a much loved family member, he landed on the beaches of Anzio, rose a horse in the grand national and was chairman of the world's greatest football club Aston Villa so I don't want to dishonour him by being late. 10.46: David Cameron says fund for communities struggling with migrants will be in the Conservative manifesto 10.45: Cameron: "There is no doubt that this package as a whole will require some treaty change" 10.43: Quentin Letts, the Mail sketch writer, asks "why has this taken so blinking long" this is a "rotten tooth" that the PM has been avoiding Mr Cameron has gone a little off piste taking question from a sketch writer who are essentially employed to poke fun at him and his colleagues. And after that one he may have regretted it... Sometimes in politics things take time because you have to work through all of the angles... I want to be PM after next May.. I don't want to do that on promises I can't keep. I agree with you I wish we had done some of these things a few years ago. 10.39: George Parker of the FT asks about business concerns He asks him whether businesses will have to reform their strucutres if migrants are not allowed to claim tax credits. Mr Cameron says he looks forward to the discusssion with business leaders about training up Brits to do the jobs. 10.36: He is asked if ruling nothing out means that he will leave Europe if he doesn't get the reforms Mr Cameron won't go quite go there: "What it means is exactly what it says." He adds: "If I fail I rule absolutely nothing out, if I fail we will have a press conferenece like this and you can ask me what I am going to do "Nothing and I mean nothing is ruled out," he adds. 10.35: Cameron asked about the net migration pledge and whether he owes the British public an apology "no ifs no buts" Mr Cameron says that he does not think getting net migration into the tens of thousands is "an outlandish and unachievable pledge" although admits "when I made that pledge I didn't know that there would be potentially three recessions in five years" 10.28: Appeal to the youth, there with a 'down-with-the-kids Netflix reference Man, isn't it well annoying that you can't access your netflix over EU borders kids? Or rather: "It is still not possible for a British optician to trade freely in Italy, or a French company to raise funds in Germany. It is still not possible for consumers to access their Netflix or iTunes accounts across borders in the EU. And freedom of movement itself is not absolute. 10.29: European countries are giving us their "brightest and best" He appears to be making a direct appeal to European countries to get them to help him to keep their young people at home, rather than arriving en-masse in Britain We have real concerns. Not only for Britain's sake, but for the sake of Europe as a whole. Because what is happening in Britain is not unique to Britain. Across the European Union, issues of migration are causing real concern and raising real questions. Can movements on the scale we have seen in recent years always be in the best interests of the EU and wider European solidarity? Can it be in the interests of central and eastern European Member States that so many of their brightest and best are drawn away from home when they are needed most? This concern takes a different form in different Member States, and has different causes. 10.28: Cameron says that the conversation on reform cannot start "with a no" He tells European leaders that it is time to "talk about this properly" So I say to our friends in Europe. It's time we talked about this properly. And a conversation cannot begin with the word "no." The entire European Union is built on a gift for compromise, for finding ways round difficult corners, for accepting that sometimes we have to avoid making the perfect the enemy of the good. That is the way the EU operates. That is the way a Union of 28 democracies has to operate. Flexibility not rigidity. Creativity not dogma. Only this month a way was found to accommodate France breaching its budget deficit limit, as everyone knew it would be. And it can be done again. Two years ago, at Bloomberg, I set out my vision for a reformed European Union. I stand by every word of that speech today. A reformed EU, in the interests not only of Britain, but of every Member State. 10.25: This is not impossible Mr Cameron says that people say it is impossible to renegotiate, impossible to control migration... I respond with one word, the most powerful word in the English language. The Prime Minister also strongly hints at his willingness to leave the European Union - Britain's membership, he is telling European leaders, is not neccessarily permanent I know some of you will be saying: why bother? Some of you may even say that in public. To which my answer is clear: because it is worth it. Look at what Britain brings to Europe. The fastest growing economy and the second largest. One of Europe's strongest powers. A country which in many ways invented the single market, and which brings real heft to Europe's influence on the world stage. 10.23: There is a lot of debate on Twitter about whether Mr Cameron is growing a moustache Bit late for Movember... 10.15: A very loud alarm has gone off and its rather putting David Cameron off his speech... "I am sorry to interrupt production" jokes the PM as someone finally turns off the factory alarm." I thought he dealt with that rather well, actually, and certainly got everyone's attention... but others disagree. 10.14: "yes you can" 10.10: Some reaction from the speech 10.07: David Cameron announces emergency fund for communities struggling with immigrants Towns that are under huge pressure from migrants will get more money, the Prime Minister says. This is an attempt to appeal to voters in Ukip target seats, those that are fed up with what they see as the "swamping" of their towns and are attracted by Nigel Farage's stomping rhetoric on the issue. He said: "And we will continue with our welfare and education reforms making sure that it always pays to work training more British workers right across the country, but especially in local areas that are heavily reliant on migrant labour and supporting those communities with a new fund to help meet the additional demands on local services. We will also introduce stronger powers to tackle criminal gangs who bring people into this country and then withhold their passports and their pay. And I am proud that today we are publishing our Modern Slavery Strategy, clamping down on those appalling criminals who try and traffic people here. 10.05: Mr Cameron deals with the missed net migration target but doesn't admit they essentially have been forced to abandon it So we set a clear target: to return net migration to 1990s levels when even though we had an open economy, proper immigration controls meant immigration was in the tens of thousands, not hundreds of thousands. And we set to work on it immediately, with a clear plan to tackle non-EU migration in a targeted way while continuing to permit companies to bring in the skilled workers they needed and allowing universities to attract the best talent from around the world. So we took action to cut numbers and tackle abuse on every visa route for those coming to Britain from outside Europe. We imposed an annual cap on economic migration of 20,700. This determined effort is making a real difference. Even after yesterday's disappointing figures, net migration from outside Europe is down by almost a quarter, and falling close to the levels seen in the late 1990s. Without our reforms, in the last year alone, 50,000 more migrants from outside the EU would have come to the UK. But if I am Prime Minister after the election, we will go further. But our action to cut migration from outside the EU has not been enough to meet our target of cutting the overall numbers to the tens of thousands. The figures yesterday demonstrate that again. As we have reduced the numbers coming to the UK from outside the EU, the numbers from inside the EU have risen. In other words, our squeeze in one area has been offset by a bulge in another. The ambition remains the right one. But it's clear: it's going to take more time, more work and more difficult long term decisions to get there. 09.57: Shout out to Carney Mark Carney is Canadian and doing a pretty good job The Prime Minister says that the fact the governor of the Bank of England shows that immigration has it's positives He says: "We have always understood that our national greatnesss is built on our openness. We see that every day. In our National Health Service, which would grind to a halt without the hundreds of thousands who have come from overseas to help run it. In the City of London, the financial epicentre of the world, where so many, from so many different countries, have come to make Britain their home. In the Bank of England, where the best Central Banker in the world, a Canadian, is our Governor. 09.55: It is "not wrong to express concern about the scale of people coming into the country" Cameron says we must address "the complacent view" which says that mass migration is un-avoidable and "unalloyed good" He says: "First, is the complacent view that says the levels of immigration we've seen in the past decade aren't really a problem at all. That mass migration is an unavoidable by-product of a new world order of globalisation. That globalisation is an unalloyed good - and those complaining about immigration just need to get with the modern world. Often the people who have these views are those who have no direct experience of the impact of high levels of migration. They have never waited on a social housing list or found that their child's classroom is overcrowded or felt that their community has changed too fast. And what makes everyone else really angry is that if they dare to express these concerns they can be made to feel guilty about doing so. We should be clear. It is not wrong to express concern about the scale of people coming into the country. 09.54: The Prime Minister has attacked Ukip's musings on repatriation This is a reference to Mark Reckless, the MP who defected from the Tories and won back his seat as a Ukip MP. On the last day of campaigning in the Rochester and Strood by-election a huge row exploded after Reckless was accused of using the language of forced repatriation and the Conservatives of campaigning like the British National party. In a direct dig at the party and his ex-MP, Mr Cameron said: "Our openness is part of who we are. We should celebrate it. We should never allow anyone to demonise it. And we must never give in to those who would throw away our values, with the appalling prospect of repatriating migrants who are here totally legally and have lived here for years. We are Great Britain because of immigration, not in spite of it. So it is fundamental to the future of our country that we get this issue right. And in doing so, there are three dangerous views which we need to confront. First, is the complacent view that says the levels of immigration we've seen in the past decade aren't really a problem at all. 09.53: Mr Cameron: "We will never forget the Polish and Czech pilots who helped save this country in its hour of need" The Prime Minister is talking about the history of British immigration from the Jewish communities after World War One to being a "haven" for Ugandan Asians. We have always been an open nation, welcoming those who want to make a contribution and build a decent life for themselves and their families. From the Jewish communities who came to Britain before World War One to the West Indians who docked at Tilbury on the Windrush and helped to rebuild our country after World War Two. Even at times of war and danger, when our island status has protected us, we have offered sanctuary to those fleeing tyranny and persecution. We will never forget the Polish and Czech pilots who helped save this country in its hour of need and the Poles who went on to settle here, help build post war Britain and indeed contribute so much to our country today. And we are proud of the role we played in providing a haven to the Ugandan Asians in the early 1970s who now count among their number four Members of the House of Lords, some of the UK's most successful businessmen, a BBC News presenter and the owner of a company providing china to the royal households. 09.51: Mr Cameron has started speaking in Staffordshire 09.44: As everyone awaits Cameron much of Westminster is entertaining themselves with leadership contender Theresa May's Desert Island Discs It has just been repeated from Sunday and will be available on the iPlayer for those who missed it. You can read about here. Spoiler - her luxury item is a lifetime subscription to Vogue. 09.02: 'At last here is something I can sell on the doorstep' Christopher Hope is on his way to hear what the Prome Minister has to say. He reports en route: Eurosceptic Conservative MPs seem delighted with the pre-briefed elements of David Cameron's Europe speech. Last night the Prime Minister's team were giving out the details of what he was planning to say to Tory MPs in Parliament. One calls me this morning to say: "At last here is something I can sell on the doorstep." 08.57: Can David Cameron's speech kill Ukip?