A major donor to the Conservative party warned on Tuesday that refugees should not see Europe as a permanent new home, despite having settled in the UK himself after fleeing political persecution from Russia.
Alexander Temerko, who has donated more than £500,000 to the Conservative party and once bought a bust of David Cameron for £90,000, fled to the UK in 2003 after the arrests of top executives at Yukos, a company that collapsed amid allegations of corruption.
Writing for Total Politics, he said Europe and the US must find different ways to help those fleeing Syria and other countries rather than inviting them to make Europe their new home.
At one point in the article, he appears to liken the asylum-seekers to insects.
"In the next few years, it has been estimated that the number of people trying to cross over to Europe will reach 15 million," he writes. "That is equivalent to a sizeable European country, with a population greater than that of Belgium, Greece or Portugal. The newcomers will require access to education, healthcare and benefits at a level that Europe simply cannot sustain.
"Unfortunately, the reality of life is such that once an anthill has been destroyed, there is no stopping the ants. Having disturbed a vespiary, one cannot hope to remain untouched by wasps."
Temerko later concludes that people must stay where they are, in camps in countries neighbouring Syria.
"Our true duty is to help the migrants with housing, education and healthcare on a temporary basis until their homeland is once again a safe place to live," he states. "Permanent resettlement is not an answer. The migrants must remain where they are at the moment."
Temerko became a British citizen after arriving to the country fearing political persecution.
Temerko's own case was settled in a 2005 extradition hearing at Bow Street magistrates court. In his ruling, the judge said he was "satisfied the request for Mr Temerko's extradition is in fact made for the purpose of prosecuting or punishing him for his political opinions ... if he were extradited, he would be prejudiced at his trial and punished or detained by reasons of his political opinions."
Temerko has since flourished in the UK, becoming a citizen in 2011, a major Conservative party donor – and member of the Leader's club, which dines with David Cameron and other cabinet ministers – and deputy chair of OGN Group, a Newscastle-based oil rig manufacturer.
Contacted by BuzzFeed, Temerko drew a distinction between "genuine political asylum seekers" and "humanitarian refugees.
"My position has been very clearly expressed," he said. "We need to help refugees in the countries where they are now, such as Turkey, the Balkans and Greece, and not issue ambiguous messages that might provoke a new wave of refugees and put their lives and the lives of their families under threat.
"We need to provide money, medicine, food and education in these countries at the same time as pursuing a more aggressive military intervention in Syria and Iraq. In this way, we can look after the immediate need while preparing the way for them to rebuild their own countries.
"It's very important to draw the distinction between genuine political asylum seekers and humanitarian refugees. The first are a small group of people who, in many cases, are fighting to make the world a better place by consciously risking their life and freedom, while the second are a huge group of people driven from their homes by war and other factors.
"There are examples of both in the current wave of European migrants. We need to help both groups on a humanitarian basis, but the form and method should be very different."