We examine the impact on the UK economy of the flow of workers from ten East European countries after their accession to the European Union. We find evidence that those most susceptible to competition from these workers have seen weaker wage inflation. We document that the presence of these foreign workers has increased the fear of unemployment and helped to contain wage pressure. We argue that this inflow of workers has increased supply by more than it has raised demand and, thus, had the effect of reducing both inflationary pressures and the natural rate of unemployment. The recent rise in migration to the UK from eight EU Accession countries (the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia ‐ the A8 countries) which started in 2004, as well as subsequently from Romania and Bulgaria (the A2) in 2007, has generated a good deal of controversy. We will refer to these countries collectively as the A10 henceforth. 1 How many of these Eastern Europeans are there currently in the UK? Which countries did they come from and when? What impact has their influx had on the UK economy and what likely impacts will they have in the future?