Dutch PM on Brexit: Brits chose to be poorer for immigration control

According to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the British had a clear choice when voting on whether or not Britain should leave the European Union. And when voting for the Brexit, they chose to become poorer in exchange for controlling immigration, he said to CNBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday.

"This was a choice, the choice always was that when you want economic growth, be part of the biggest market in the world - which the European Union is - to leave that market with all the consequences that entails, there's consequences you have to face up to", he said to the American broadcaster. "And they wanted to do this because they wanted to control migration."

According to Rutte, this is unfortunate because the net immigration to the United Kingdom will likely not decrease. "Because also in the future they will need many workers, also from Eastern Europe, to fill the many vacancies", he said.

Rutte added that he was not making these comments to increase his chances in the upcoming parliamentary elections in the Netherlands. "I'm just stating the facts."