Parts of the UK could be "swamped" by EU migrants unless rules change, the defence secretary has claimed.
Michael Fallon said it was vital to impose some restrictions on the free movement of people in the EU, as many towns feel "under siege" by workers and those claiming benefits.
His language attracted criticism, with Labour saying it was "desperate".
A Downing Street source later said Mr Fallon "accepts he should have chosen his words better."
He should have used the words "under pressure" instead, the source added.
Official figures published in August showed UK net migration - the difference between those entering and leaving - increased by more than 38% to 243,000 in 2013-14. EU citizens accounted for two-thirds of the growth.
It has been reported the UK could seek to apply an "emergency brake" to stop EU migration after it reached a certain level or to limit the number of National Insurance numbers issued to new arrivals.
But German Chancellor Angela Merkel said it would be wrong to "tamper" with the system in place across the EU.
Timing is everything...
Re: Timing is everything...
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
Re: Timing is everything...
Let's crank it up a bit!!
The European Union will hit Britain with punitive fines of almost £70 million a month next year if David Cameron refuses to pay a £1.7 billion bill from Brussels.
Mr Cameron last month said he will refuse to pay the "completely unacceptable" bill and warned that it will reduce the chances of Britain staying in the EU.
The EU is now threatening to charge Britain an annual interest rate of 52 per cent, equivalent to £823 million, if it refuses to pay the full amount by December 1.
George Osborne, the Chancellor, will travel to Brussels on Friday for a meeting of EU finance ministers in an attempt to reduce the bill ahead of the deadline.
Tory MPs described the £2.3 million a day of interest payments as so exploitative that they would make "the most predatory payday loan shark blush".
It came as senior Tories clashed with Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, over plans to reduce the number of immigrants coming to Britain.
Mrs Merkel suggested she would rather see Britain leave the European Union than change the rules on freedom of movement, describing that the principle as "non-negotiable".
However, Mr Osborne said that "Europe is not working" for Britain and pledged to drive through freedom of movement reforms.
He suggested that European migrants should not move to Britain unless they have a job lined up and insisted that Germany "understands the disquiet" that people in Britain feel about the high levels of immigration.
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
Re: Timing is everything...
I'd be scared; Italy has some people who are pretty good at collecting loans and usurious interest. It's all fun and games until Cameron has his knees broken and they are rifling the couches in Buckingham Palace for spare change.