There are no reliable estimates on how many Romanians and Bulgarians will come to Britain when access restrictions are lifted at the end of this year, a Cabinet minister has admitted.
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said any influx from the European Union states would cause problems with services such as housing.
However, he insisted it was not reasonable to assume 300,000 would move to the UK – the figure suggested by some Tories based on migration levels after Poland, the Czech Republic, Latvia and Lithuania joined the EU.
Speaking on the BBC's Sunday Politics programme, Mr Pickles said: "The truth is I don't think anybody entirely knows the number that are going to come from Bulgaria or from Romania."
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