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He had previously called on countries to take in more migrants but now appears to have completely reversed his view. The Microsoft chief said instead of opening the European Union borders, Brussels should fix the push-factors at the source by sending more foreign aid. He said: “On the one hand you want to demonstrate generosity and take in refugees, but the more generous you are, the more word gets around about this – which in turn motivates more people to leave Africa.

GETTY Bill Gates has made a massive U-turn on Europe's migrant policy

“[Germany cannot] take in the huge, massive number of people who are wanting to make their way to Europe.” He said instead the EU must make it “more difficult for Africans to reach the continent via the current transit routes” while also relieving “enormous pressure” by sending foreign aid.

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The 61-year-old said it was “phenomenal” German Chancellor Angela Merkel is currently spending 0.7 per cent of the country’s GDP on foreign aid and urged others to follow its example. Last year Mr Gates, who is worth an estimated 60 billion pounds, called on America to open its doors to Syrian migrants.

And he said Germany and Sweden were “to be congratulated” for opening its doors during the migrant crisis. He said the USA “had the capacity” to follow suit, claiming: “The total number of refugees is not a world record.”

GETTY Bill Gates called on Europe to open its borders to migrants last year

Ukip MEP Jane Collins said she agreed with Mr Gates and called on the EU to stop “virtue signalling” and make some real attempts to reduce migration. She said: “Bill Gates is right when he says that the numbers coming into Germany are unsustainable, just as they are unsustainable for the UK. But the only way to stop this, to make it less attractive for migrants to make the journey, is to turn back boats in the Mediterranean and deport people who are not genuine asylum seekers. “Brussels is more interested in virtue signalling to the rest of the world than doing the right thing for the people of Europe by stopping these migratory flows. But the ECHR provides so many loopholes for people with no right to be in these countries that authorities feel like they are swimming against the tide.”

GETTY Last year Bill Gates praised Germany and Sweden's approach to the migrant crisis