'Liechtenstein solution' could hold key to softer Brexit, says Tory MEP

A prominent Brussels politician has said that a number of European countries have been allowed to put in place tougher immigration measures than the UK while retaining access to the single market.

Vicky Ford, a Conservative MEP who chairs the European parliament’s committee on the internal market, said in one case a country had even set an “upper break” on migrant numbers without losing economic ties.

The comments suggest Theresa May could be able to hit back at the uncompromising positions being taken by her European counterparts in a bid to retain single market access while reducing immigration.

Chancellor Angela Merkel told business leaders in Germany that Britain would not keep full access to the single market alongside restrictions to free movement, echoing the argument made by the French president, François Hollande.

But in an interview with the Guardian, Ford said there were a number of ideas being used or considered in countries inside the EU or European Economic Area that Britain could look to adopt, including:

• Migrants only being able to access housing, health and education if they prove their employment through a registration system.
  
• British jobs only being advertised locally.
• Criminal checks in advance of people arriving.
• An upper break – or cap – on migrant numbers.

“If you look at a country like Liechtenstein, in the EEA, they have access to free movement of goods within the single market [but they] have an absolute cap on the number of people given residency a year – and it is only 90 people,” she said.

Ford, who is the East of England MEP, argued that the “Liechtenstein solution” might not be perfect for the UK, but said it was an important precedent that a country with a population of 37,000 was given such a low limit.

“We have towns of 30,000 – that is the size of Wisbech, but some years it has had over 1,000 people [arrive],” she said.

Ford said that the numbers of migrants in some British towns had been equivalent to the quota of 1,200 refugees for the whole of Hungary, which has caused huge controversy.

“The ability to put an upper break is a concept that has been adopted by EEA members and they have been given access to the single market,” she said.

Ford, who has expertise on the single market as a result of her role at the helm of a key Brussels’ key committee on the issue, said even EU countries went further on immigration than the UK.

“Look at a country like Belgium,” she said. “To live in Brussels you need to have a social security card, you need to be registered with your local area. And you have to have an employer who is committed to pay your social security benefits – or to be able to prove that you’ve got substantial private funds.

“In practical terms it is not possible go and live in Belgium and access public services without a job ... Without your social security card you can’t get housing, education, healthcare, rent a property.”

Her comments suggest that, in theory, the prime minister might not need to choose between a so-called hard or soft Brexit. But in practice European leaders do not want other countries to follow the UK’s lead so are likely to maintain their tough stance for political reasons.

Given the controversy over an ID card system in the UK amid privacy concerns, Ford gave another example of Estonian e-cards, in which migrants register online but retain control of their data.

And she said other ideas were being considered as well: “In Switzerland [in the single market] they are introducing a rule that jobs have to be advertised locally and when I talk to colleagues across European countries they think that is a perfectly reasonable thing to be looking at.”

Ford also said there were reforms that could help prevent foreign criminals entering the country on the horizon. She pointed to the system in the US of travellers having to fill in an electronic advance notice that allows their criminal records to be checked ahead of entry. “The EU is now considering doing that – we could do that,” she said.

“So please, when we are having this discussion about free movement of goods, services and work, we should look at what is being used elsewhere and say there are no red lines here,” said Ford, suggesting there could be a deal that is in between a hard and soft Brexit.

Asked why Britain had not taken steps to tighten up immigration within the rules previously, Ford argued alternative systems did have drawbacks, such as skilled migrants being put off by the bureaucracy.

She said it was clear that Britain would not retain “full” membership of the single market because of May’s determination to take control of legislation. “But the idea that you have that mature, close, cooperative relationship that she discussed is in my mind completely possible with a new package around migration controls that looks at the different examples from across Europe,” she said.

Ford also addressed the issue of EU regulations, admitting that Britain could not diverge too far from expectations, but that that there ought to be some flexibility.

“We are the most compliant country,” she said.

“I would point out to people in other European countries that even within the single market some countries take quite an à la carte approach themselves to implementing European [regulations] ... There is a single market scoreboard that looks at implementation of European legislation and the UK is well ahead of France and Germany.”

• The headline in this article was amended on 10 October 2016. An earlier version suggested Liechtenstein was an EU member. It is not.