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IDS defiant on welfare payments
Welfare and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith swore to defy an EU ruling on British welfare payments yesterday. Speaking at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, Duncan Smith took a hard line against the European Commission’s order that Britain continue to pay welfare to foreigners who have only just arrived in the UK. “At a time when the British people are tightening their belts, the European Commission orders us to open our doors to benefit tourists and pay them benefits when they arrive here,” he said. “I have a simple message for them. No, no, no.” It is not clear whether the government will attempt to challenge the ruling through legal channels or simply ignore it.