“All they are doing now is rehashing failed announcements from David Cameron and Theresa May, while doing nothing to tackle the skills shortages and their failures in the economy and immigration system which have pushed net migration up. Why should anyone take seriously a promise the Tories have already repeatedly broken?
“Labour’s plan to bring net migration down will link the immigration system with new mandatory training and workforce plans for British workers, and stop rogue employers hiring from abroad.”
Clear choice between Conservatives and high-migration Labour
By Tom Pursglove
Migration into the UK is too high. It’s not fair on the British people who feel the pressure it puts on housing, public services and communities.
That’s why the Conservatives have a clear plan to bring numbers down and a record of taking the bold action needed to do so.
Last year we introduced the biggest ever package of measures to cut legal migration, including banning overseas students and care workers from bringing family members, and introducing stricter controls on the Health and Care Visa to clamp down on abuse.
We stopped immigration undercutting British workers by increasing the salary threshold for skilled worker visas by almost 50 per cent, to £38,700, in line with the average full-time wage for equivalent jobs.
Our plan is already working. With the steps we’ve taken, we have cut the number of people who were eligible to come to the UK by 300,000 compared to last year. Net migration was down 10 per cent last year compared to the previous year and the latest statistics show applications on key visa routes are down by 25 per cent so far this year.
But we will go further to make sure that immigration is fair and prioritises those whose skills we need to support British businesses and our NHS.
We will introduce a legal cap to ensure that immigration is always controlled. Publicly accountable elected representatives in Parliament will be responsible for deciding the appropriate level, based on advice from the expert Migration Advisory Committee. This will give voters confidence their views will be respected and reflected.
We will make it clear to the Migration Advisory Committee that their task is to bring numbers down to sustainable levels, with an overall cap that falls every year in the next Parliament, while making sure the NHS and businesses get the employees they need.
Many other countries take this kind of bold action, including Australia. Australia has a cap on permanent migration which allows them to keep immigration at sustainable levels, while ensuring their economy gets the high-skilled workers it needs.
Flip-flopping Starmer
There is no clearer contrast between us and the Labour Party. Keir Starmer flip flops day to day, but he said as recently as 2020 that he wanted to bring back freedom of movement, reversing the progress we’ve made thanks to Brexit.
He is also the same man who said all immigration law is permeated “with racist undercurrents”. He is instinctively against controlled borders and cannot be trusted to deliver them.
Yvette Cooper says that Labour wants to cut net migration but would not say by how much or by when, let alone setting out a credible plan to achieve it. Their record shows that they have no credibility; Labour refused to back our key reforms to bring down net migration, such as the increased salary threshold. They say one thing one day and flip flop the next. The British people deserve honesty and a clear plan.
The reality is Keir Starmer is desperate to get the UK back into his favourite territory – orbiting the EU. He says he wants to negotiate a sweetheart deal with them on migration, but what he hasn’t said is that in any deal with the EU, it would make the UK take as many as 100,000 illegal migrants from the EU. That’s the precise opposite of what the British people want to see.
Labour’s record on being willing to tackle illegal migration is even worse. They have voted against tougher measures to tackle illegal immigration 139 times and have voted to block, delay, or weaken our plan to stop the boats 126 times, frustrating our actions to stop the boats.
Their illegal migration amnesty would see 100,000 migrants a year be allowed to apply for asylum at the expense of the British taxpayer, putting more power in the hands of evil people smugglers.
We know Labour won’t back our approach on capping legal migration. They’ve already said net migration targets are the “wrong approach”.
So the choice for voters at this election is clear – between a Conservative Prime Minister who will cap immigration and bring down the numbers by sustaining the trajectory we are on, or a Labour government that has no plan except to give illegal immigrants an amnesty, with higher immigration and more pressure on services as a result.
Tom Pursglove is Minister of State for Legal Migration and the Border
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
