Details of the deal have emerged days after official figures showed that net migration hit a record 745,000 in the year to December 2022, three times pre-Brexit levels and blowing apart the Conservatives’ 2019 manifesto commitment to reduce overall numbers below 239,000.
Mr Sunak has not denied discussing policy options with Mrs Braverman or the existence of a document, but Downing Street has rejected any characterisation of it as a deal.
‘I’m getting on with delivering things’
Mr Sunak told the Mail on Sunday: “Of course, you have conversations with people when you are in a leadership election and not just Suella.” Asked if he was worried about her producing proof of the deal, he replied: “That’s a question for her. I’m getting on with actually delivering things.”
Sources close to Mrs Braverman said the deal was not signed by Mr Sunak but that it was verbally agreed on multiple occasions – and in front of witnesses – and that he left their meeting with a physical copy of the document.
They claimed that after agreeing the deal and making her Home Secretary, No 10 failed to take legal migration seriously, declaring instead that small boats were the public’s prime concern.
Six letters, each setting out detailed policy options and sent to No 10 either by Mrs Braverman or her office, were ignored, according to sources close to the former home secretary. In one, in November 2022,weeks after her appointment, she said she had instructed officials to “work up a set of proposals”.
“Our manifesto commitment that overall immigration numbers will come down is at risk because of recent trends on visa grants…we can and must deliver our manifesto promise of lowering overall numbers in a manner that is consistent with supporting economic growth,” she said.
The letter set out two additional proposals, one for a cap on overall visa rates, with numbers annually set by Parliament, and a second scrapping the shortage occupation list, where employers can hire foreign workers at 20 per cent below the going rate. This has been recommended by the Government’s own Migration Advisory Committee (MAC).
Tackling net migration was the top item in the agreement, which opened by warning record numbers of visas were being issued including a “large increase in numbers of foreign students from developing countries attending non-Russell group universities on business studies master’s with dependants”.
It proposed: “A. Close down the graduate visa route. B. Restrict number of dependents. C. Prioritise particular universities and courses. D. Increase salary thresholds for skilled workers from £25k to £40k.”
In her November 2022 letter, she advocated replacing the two-year graduate visa route with a four-month stay when overseas students could try to get a job and could switch their visa over from student to work. This was in line with a 2018 recommendation by the MAC.
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.
