David Cameron once promised that his government would be “the most open and transparent in the world” but Eric Pickles was remarkably evasive when asked how many Romanians and Bulgarians he expects to migrate to the UK when the EU transitional controls end next year. Appearing on The Sunday Politics last month, the Communities Secretary told Andrew Neil:
Exclusive: government blocks release of estimate for Romanian and Bulgarian immigration
In response to a New Statesman freedom of information request, the government says that the release of the figures could threaten "collective responsibility".