Former Home Secretary David Blunkett has admitted he would find it tough if Roma gipsies moved into his own street

Former Home Secretary David Blunkett has admitted he would find it tough if Roma gipsies moved into his own street – 10 years after he opened Britain's borders to new EU members.

The Labour politician allowed migrants from Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to work in Britain from 2004, resulting in one of the biggest waves of immigration ever seen in the UK.

More than one million workers from Eastern Europe arrived between 2004 and the end of 2009 – many of them settling in his home city of Sheffield.

He warned that the influx of Roma migrants would result in riots in British cities last year and suggested they should 'change their culture' as it was causing tensions.

Now as he prepares to live out his retirement in Sheffield, Mr Blunkett, 67, has said he would be distraught if gypsies moved into his street.

'I would find it a challenge because of the way of life they are used to. The deprivation in Slovakia was awful. We've got to say it isn't awful here and your behaviour has to change,' he told the Sun on Sunday.

Despite this, the MP for Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough insisted it was not a mistake to open the UK's borders to Eastern Europe 10 years ago.

'The only regret I have about 2004 is not to put more time and cash into helping communities cope with that massive change,' he said.

'It wasn't a deliberate policy of 'Let's open the doors and have a massive flood'.

'Did we make mistakes? Yes. We should never have condoned the predictions it was going to be tens of thousands coming to Britain when, over the next four years, it turned out to be hundreds of thousands.'

The last Labour government predicted that only 13,000 would move to Britain from Poland and other eastern European countries after 2004, when in fact it was more than one million.

Mr Blunkett said Britain must wake up to the fact it cannot close its borders and pointed out the country has always been built on inward migration.

The Labour politician, pictured with his dog Sadie, allowed migrants from Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to work in Britain from 2004, resulting in one of the biggest waves of immigration ever seen in the UK

Mr Blunkett chats to former Labour leader Neil Kinnock before the start of the Party Conference in 1986

'Ukip leader Nigel Farage's wife is German, for goodness sake,' he said.

He blames the rise of Ukip and the Scottish National Party for splitting the vote and weakening traditional Labour support.

The Labour politician insisted he has no regrets at his decision to stand down from Parliament at the next general election.

He described Prime Minister's Questions as a 'bear pit' and said he wouldn't miss it at all.

Mr Blunkett, who served as education secretary, home secretary and work and pension secretary under former prime minister Tony Blair, said the Labour leadership wanted to make a 'clear break with the past'.

Tensions between Roma migrants and locals came to a head in May this year when more than 25 people were involved in the mass disturbance in Sheffield

He became the youngest ever leader of Sheffield City Council in 1980, before he was elected as an MP and was later appointed as education secretary in 1997, following the landslide election victory for New Labour.

The Labour politician resigned from cabinet posts twice - the first time in 2004 as home secretary after a visa application for ex-lover Kimberly Quinn's nanny was fast-tracked.

An official inquiry found a 'chain of events' linking Mr Blunkett's office to the speeding up of a visa application.

Less than 12 months later he stepped down as work and pensions secretary, following a row over his business interests.

The MP, who was born blind, has said one of his greatest successes has been breaking down barriers for people with disabilities.







