Bulgarian Ambassador slams UKIP on UK immigration rhetoric

Bulgaria and Romania will gain full access to the European Union at the end of the year, meaning passport holders could potentially move to Britain without the need for a UK visa.

The prospect of a fresh influx of migrants impacting UK immigration rates, which have only recently begun to fall, has triggered a furious debate - one which has angered the Bulgarian ambassador.

Konstantin Dimitrov told Sky News' Murnaghan program that the UK Independence Party in particular was 'scape-goating a tiny nation' in pre-election material UKIP was using to support its bid in next month's elections.

Mr Dimitrov singled out UKIP Leader Nigel Farage's for criticism, saying the former Conservative politician was 'usually very feeble in presenting solid arguments' against UK immigration rates and 'prefers to indulge in propaganda which deviates markedly from the essence of the debate'.

Mr Farage has previously said both Romania and Bulgaria are 'racked with corruption and organised crime' and that they 'should never have been allowed to join the EU'.

In its promotional material, UKIP says that almost 30 million Bulgarians and Romanians will soon have the right to 'live, work and draw benefits' in the UK which will cost 'fine, hard-working people' opportunities. The leaflets go on to suggest that such an occurrence would result in 'fewer jobs available, pressure on hospitals, longer queues for care, wages going down, less money to go around and longer waiting lists for council housing'.

The Bulgarian ambassador pointed out that Bulgarian migrants were currently not in the top 20 nationalities who claim benefits from the UK and that it was 'unacceptable' for UKIP and 'certain political quarters and the media' to indulge in 'hostile propaganda'.

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