Senior ministers pressured former Prime Minister Tony Blair to postpone granting employment rights to workers from Eastern and Central European countries when the EU expanded in 2004, as per recently revealed documents.
In February of that year, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw highlighted that Britain stood alone among larger EU nations in offering a "concession". This concession allowed individuals from newly joined EU nations such as Poland to work in Britain after 1 May, while most other major states imposed a two-year restriction, with only Italy remaining undecided. Smaller EU countries, excluding Ireland, had work permit systems in place to control numbers.
Documents from the National Archives, now made public as they have reached the 20-year mark, show that Straw suggested a six-month delay for the UK. He expressed concerns that facing a challenging scenario could lead to the revocation of the concession under unfavorable circumstances.
Straw's communication, endorsed by the then-deputy prime minister John Prescott, prompted worries about the potential strain on social housing and the likelihood of workers flocking to London and the South East, potentially facing inadequate housing conditions.
On the other hand, the then-Home Secretary David Blunkett argued in favor of the economic benefits that the new workers could bring in terms of flexibility and productivity. In response to Blair's inquiry regarding work permits, the Home Office promptly formulated a "workers registration scheme". This scheme required A8 workers from the eight new member states to pay a fee and register for specific employment, with penalties for non-compliance.
In the aftermath of the EU expansion, No 10 closely monitored registration numbers on a weekly basis, expressing concern as the estimated influx of 13,000 workers per year exceeded expectations. The ensuing developments indicated a fluctuation in registration figures, with government accountability bodies commending the Immigration and Nationality Directorate for the swift implementation of the registration scheme.
Despite initial discrepancies in the scheme's accuracy and enforcement, events in late 2005 revealed significant gaps, such as the mismatch between official figures and the actual presence of workers like Polish plumbers in the UK. Subsequently, over the following years, a substantial number of A8 nationals, primarily from Poland, migrated to the UK, with a considerable Polish-born population reported in the 2021 census.