Government planning for influx of Greek migrants

There are fears that mass unemployment in countries forced to leave the single currency could lead millions to seek work abroad, with non-eurozone countries like Britain an attractive destination.

In normal circumstances the Government would be able to do little to deter economic migrants from fellow EU member states like Greece, as EU nationals are usually entitled to live and work anywhere within the single market.

But Mrs May said the Government was “looking at the trends” on immigration from struggling European economies.

She said there was no evidence of increased migration at present, adding that it was “difficult to say how it is going to develop in coming weeks”.

Asked whether emergency immigration controls are under consideration, Mrs May said: “It is right that we do some contingency planning on this (and) that is work that is ongoing.”

Mrs May suggested that the “abuse” of freedom of movement within the EU more generally was under consideration.

“Discussions within the EU are much more looking at the immigration issue, the migration issue, as something that needs to be considered and addressed,” she told the Telegraph.

“Within the EU, in a wider context, people are increasingly recognising the need to prevent the abuse of free movement.”

Lawyer ‘astonished’ at hint of move to block migration

Immigration lawyer said he was “astonished” at the news, saying there was no instrument in EU law to prevent people from other member states from migrating to the UK.

He told Channel 4 News: “I’m not aware of any provision that would allow for suspension of free movement of persons. It is one of the fundamental freedoms that the EU exists to protect and promote, so any provision allowing suspension would be highly surprising.”

Prime Minister David Cameron cast doubt on the future of the euro last week when he warned the eurozone that it “either has to make up or it is looking at a potential break-up”.

“That’s the choice they have to make and it is a choice they can’t long put off,” he told the Commons.

Christine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund, said on Saturday that she had limited sympathy with the Greeks and accused them of widespread tax avoidance.

In an interview with the Guardian, she said: “I think more of the little kids from a school in a little village in Niger who get teaching two hours a day, sharing one chair for three of them, and who are very keen to get an education. I have them in my mind all the time. Because I think they need even more help than the people in Athens.”

She added: “Do you know what? As far as Athens is concerned, I also think about all those people who are trying to escape tax all the time. All these people in Greece who are trying to escape tax.”