Britain is forgetting its history and ties to the Commonwealth, according to New Zealand Prime Minister John Key.

Speaking to the New Zealand Herald yesterday, Mr. Key gave an insight into the discussions he had with British Prime Minister David Cameron at the recent Washington, D.C. nuclear summit.

But instead of parroting the same pro European Union (EU) lines that were press released immediately after the meeting, Mr. Key gave an insight into some negative aspects of Britain’s EU membership, including the fact that the UK is neglecting its long-standing partners around the world to be a member of a declining European bloc.

The main gripe Mr Key appears to have is with Britain’s immigration system, which due to our European Union membership, prejudices against non-EU member states as a source of immigration. It also creates a situation where Britain is inundated with cheap, migrant labour from Southern and Eastern Europe, rather than taking in the skilled labour from the Anglosphere.

“I said to him I thought no one individual action of itself is so incredibly significant but the combination of them is adding up to a picture which looks as if they are forgetting the history between our two countries,” Mr. Key said, adding: “I said to him it was an amazingly strong and warm relationship and Britain is still our number one source of migration.

“We are at the core … a British colony and I thought there was an argument that New Zealanders could be treated in a way which reflected that.”

Mr. Key said Mr Cameron assured him he was “going to go away and have a look at that”.

But Mr. Key went even further, stating: “[W]e are migrants who have always pulled our weight in the UK and why should we be penalised for the migration policies of being part of Europe?”

The Herald notes: “The first lot of changes to take effect later this year (no exact date has yet been announced) mean experienced Tier 2 migrants will have to earn $52,000 a year to stay in Britain beyond five years. From April next year, the threshold will be raised to $63,000.”

No such rules apply for EU citizens, who are free to live and work in the United Kingdom, with full access to Britain’s welfare system from day one.