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UK unveils immigration clampdown after Brexit
LONDON, Dec 19, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Britain publishes proposals for an EU
immigration crackdown after Brexit on Wednesday as business groups warn the
economy is not ready for Britain to crash out of the European Union without a
divorce agreement in place.
Home Secretary Sajid Javid said visas would be introduced for EU nationals
arriving after Britain leaves the bloc and the new system would be based on
skills, not nationality, putting EU and non-EU citizens on the same footing.
“It will be a system that will bring net migration down to more sustainable
levels,” he told BBC radio, although he said there was “no specific target”
for the reduction.
He said he hoped the new measures would put more pressure on employers “to
look at the domestic workforce first”.
– ‘Misguided’ approach to immigration –
Javid did not commit to an annual salary threshold for EU immigrants — a
highly contested proposal — but said it could be “o30,000 (33,000 euros,
$38,000) or thereabouts”.
He said the threshold could be lowered to encourage foreign students to
stay and work in the UK and for certain parts of the economy in which a
labour shortage could be proven.
Many employers, including the National Health Service, have warned that
o30,000 is too high and will severely limit their ability to hire EU
nationals such as nurses.
The immigration proposals are aimed at winning over Brexit hardliners who
have resisted voting in favour of the deal that Prime Minister Theresa May
has struck with EU leaders.
But they will cause anger in parts of Britain, such as London, that have
benefited from EU immigration.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said the government’s approach was “misguided”
and “risks doing profound damage to growth, jobs and communities across
London and the UK”.
– Migration levels already falling –
May has vowed to end free movement of people from Europe, saying that this
was one of the main reasons that Britons voted to leave the European Union in
a 2016 referendum.
Immigration levels have already fallen since the referendum.
Net migration to Britain was around 280,000 last year, a decrease from
levels of more than 300,000 in 2014 and 2015.
The announcement came as May prepared to hold her final question and answer
session of the year in parliament, where she will face more trenchant
criticism of her decision to delay a parliamentary vote on her Brexit deal.
The main opposition Labour Party has asked for a no confidence motion
against May, while smaller groups including the Scottish National Party have
requested a similar vote against the government as a whole.
Neither motion is expected to be allowed to come to a vote.
May survived a separate no-confidence vote tabled by members of her own
Conservative Party last week but she came out of the process badly bruised
after more than a third of her parliamentary party opted to oust her.
Some hardline Conservative MPs have since said they could vote in favour of
May’s deal when it comes before parliament next month, although experts say
the vote is still likely to go against the prime minister.
– Businesses ‘watching in horror’ –
The deadlock in Westminster has raised the prospects of either a second
referendum or of a no-deal Brexit when the negotiating time runs out on March
29 next year.
The government on Tuesday announced no-deal plans, which include drastic
measures such as stockpiling imported chemicals to ensure safe drinking water
and special flights from Europe to ensure continued supply of vital medicine.
The prospect of such an exit has caused widespread concern.
Britain’s five leading business associations on Wednesday warned that
companies have been “watching in horror as politicians have focused on
factional disputes rather than practical steps that business needs to move
forward”.
The group, which included the Confederation of British Industry big
business lobby and the Federation of Small Businesses, said: “The lack of
progress in Westminster means the risk of a no-deal Brexit is rising”.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 1538 hrs