PM Fails To Win Polish Support On Benefits

David Cameron has failed to gain backing from Poland's leader for his planned crackdown on benefits for EU migrants on the second day of his two-day European diplomatic tour.

Number 10 said the Prime Minister had failed to agree with Ewa Kopacz on the issue as they discussed European reform ahead of Mr Cameron's meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Poland has sharply criticised the plans to refuse benefits to EU migrants unless they have worked in the UK for four years saying they are "discriminatory".

EU freedom of movement rules means EU citizens should have the same entitlement to work and claim benefits as everyone in the member country.

The Prime Minister's spokesman said while Ms Kopacz and Mr Cameron found "much they could agree on", benefit restrictions had not been on of those things.

They spokesman said: "On immigration and welfare, Prime Minister Kopacz welcomed the PM's commitment to respect the principle of free movement. They agreed that there were issues concerning the interaction between free movement and national welfare systems that should be discussed further.

"Prime Minister Kopacz emphasised that Poland valued the UK's membership of the EU and said that she hoped they could work together in a positive spirit to keep Britain in."

The Prime Minister is now in talks with Mrs Merkel Berlin. The two are likely to hold more similar views than Mr Cameron and the Polish Prime Minister.

It comes after Mr Cameron called for "flexible and imaginative" reforms in the European Union after talks with French President Francois Hollande on Thursday.

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Speaking after the talks in Paris, Mr Cameron said: "The status quo is not good enough and I think there are changes that can be made that can benefit not just Britain but the rest of Europe too".

The Prime Minister said solutions could be found to make Europe more competitive and "address the concerns of the British people" ahead of his in-out referendum on EU membership.

Mr Hollande called Mr Cameron's plan for a referendum by the end of 2017 "very risky" - but made clear that France wants Britain to remain in the bloc.

"We think it's in the interest of Europe and in the interest of the United Kingdom to be together but the people must always be respected," he said at a joint news conference.

Mr Cameron added: "We have different priorities but we share a common objective, which is to find solutions to these problems.

"And what matters is that the European Union and its 28 members are flexible and imaginative enough to respond to these issues and to work together to find answers that will make the European Union more successful."

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The PM is trying to charm EU leaders into backing his reform drive, something he has promised to complete before giving Britons a vote on staying in the EU.