'Honeypot Britain': The Lived Experience of Working as an EU Migrant in the UK

There is a perception among parts of the public that migrant workers come to the UK in order to claim benefits and, if they do work, that work is low paid meaning that they are entitled to tax credits and child benefits which they then send back to thier families elsewhere in Europe. The tabloid press has described this phenomenon as 'honeypot Britain'. David Cameron, the Prime Minister, has highlighted this as a particular problem with the operation of the EU Treaty rules on free movement which he would like to see changed as part of his negotations with the EU prior to the UK's in/out referendum in 2016/7. The aim of this research is to look at:
- the law (what are migrants entitled to under EU and UK law);
- the practice (how many migrants claim benefits, what benefits do they get, and what happens if they are turned down for benefits)
- the experience (what is it like being an EU migrant coming to the UK, what are the obstacles they face, what do they do to look for work, do they try to claim benefits straightaway, what help and support do they receive?)

We aim to create a significant number of opportunities for a wide range of end-users to benefit from the research:

*Engagement with practitioners, support and campaigning organisations

Who: We plan to build on existing links with advisory organisations such as CABx, the Eastern European Advice Centre, Blackfriars Advice Centre, SOS Polonia, Polish Community Slough, the AIRE Centre and Interrights. We shall work with a number of key practitioners in the field and with contacts in the Home Office and in the European Commission. We would engage with all of these stakeholders throughout the project, as well as with new contacts that would be developed through our field work.

How: We are also keen to work with stakeholders to identify ways in which our research can be made more helpful and accessible to their organisations and the publics they support. Stakeholders will shape our research questions through an initial kick off meeting where we shall also have the opportuity to discuss ways of maximising impat. We are open to the possibility of producing, for example, guest blog posts or practitioner guides for use within some of these organisations. We would also hope to make use of stakeholders' pre-existing communications channels to support the wide dissemination of work in progress vodcasts, blog posts and flash reports.

*Engagement with migrant workers

Who: Our interviewees will provide the stories from which we can create a more rounded picture of the migrant experience. However, we would like to give something back to them and to the wider community as a whole.

How: We would like them actively to participate in the follow up to our work through inviting them to attend the film showing, the exhibition, the seminars if they are interested. We would also like to take some small steps to improving their experience in the UK, by writing information sheets, if this would seem useful, and making proposals for reform based on our experience in the field.


*Engagement with the wider community

Who: One of the main aims of our research is to provide information to the wider public about the issues raised by EU migration which have become so highly sensitive, including the levels of benefit claimed. We also want to show that the migrants are people with a lived experience and story to tell. In other words, migrants become individuals and not an amorphous group.

How: Engagement with the public through the website, twitter feed and blogs will be a start but not sufficient. We have therefore come up with an imaginative range of ways of providing information: through flash report, news stories, an art exhibition and a film. Each one of these events creates a story in its own right and thus a way of communicating with the public about the facts and about the people behind the facts. We are keen to engage with the media, with the help of the university, college and ESRC communications teams.

*Engagement with policy makers

Who: the European Commision, in particular, is most interested to gain accurate information about migration and the migrant experience. This is particularly so following the adoption of Directive 2014/54 on facilitating the exercise of the rights of workers.

How: Building on previous, well-established contacts, (Catherine regularly speaks to and for the Commission in Brussels and elsewhere) we shall share our findings with the Commission. For this user group, the blogs and flash report will be of particular relevance.