Jeremy Browne praises migrant contribution to UK economy and says Bulgarians and Romanians in UK follow same rules as Britons owning homes in the Dordogne or Marbella

Romanian and Bulgarian migrants are no different from British people with second homes in France and Spain, a government minister has admitted.

Jeremy Browne, a Liberal Democrat minister at the Home Office, said that new European migrants to Britain are complying with the same rules that apply to Britons with homes in the Dordogne or Marbella.

From 1 January 2014, Romanian and Bulgarian migrants will have free access to the UK's labour market following the lifting of travel restrictions put in place when the countries joined the EU in 2007.

He told the New Statesman he was part of an "unfashionable minority" that "embraces the opportunities of globalisation" and does not regret the opening of UK labour markets to workers from Poland and other eastern European countries in 2004.

"I don't think there was a mistake. It was transformational in terms of Britain's relationship with countries like Poland. It was in our foreign policy interest but, at a much more direct, micro level, there are a lot of employers in my constituency who are full of praise for the contribution that Poles have made to their businesses and the economy more generally," he said.

When asked if he would be equally enthusiastic about the arrival of Romanians and Bulgarians, Browne replied: "They're only complying with the same rules as British people who live in Spain or have holiday houses in France, or who work in Germany."

Browne also said the home office's campaign of driving a mobile billboard around areas with large numbers of immigrants with the message "Go home or face arrest" was a mistake. He said he was not consulted by his cabinet colleagues.

"The debate about immigration should be conducted in a tone that is civilised and humane, rather than pandering to the least attractive elements in the human spirit," he said.