Brexit Migration Cap Gets Backing of Former U.K. Tory Ministers
(Bloomberg) -- Prominent U.K. Conservatives backed a call to cap annual net migration at 50,000 once Britain leaves the European Union, underlining the pressure on Prime Minister Theresa May to satisfy the euro-skeptic wing of her party by restricting the influx of foreign workers in any Brexit deal.
A report by the Leave Means Leave pressure group published Sunday called for the introduction of a system of working visas with targets on numbers arriving in the U.K. and a five-year freeze on unskilled immigration. Former Environment Secretary Owen Paterson and ex-Defence Minister Gerald Howarth declared their support for the plan.
Owen Paterson
“We have to do more to address the uncontrolled inflow of unskilled labor and –- in doing so –- win back the trust of the British people,” Paterson said in an emailed statement. “It is perfectly possible to have a system that works for business, but returns us to the net migration levels of the mid-1990s.”
Recent comments by May suggest she may accept temporary continued freedom of movement for EU workers to the U.K. as part of any transitional arrangements with the bloc after March 2019.
“Once we've got the deal, once we've agreed what the new relationship will be for the future, it will be necessary for there to be a period of time when businesses and governments are adjusting systems and so forth,” the premier told reporters during a trip to the Middle East last week.
The Leave Means Leave report, written by the U.K. Independence Party's former migration spokesman, Steven Woolfe, suggests a working visa should only be granted if the applicant has an offer for a job with a minimum salary of 35,000 pounds ($43,000), private health insurance and “satisfactory” savings.
The pressure group has the backing of a number of other prominent Tory euro-skeptics, including former Chancellor of the Exchequer Norman Lamont and ex-cabinet members Theresa Villiers, John Whittingdale and Peter Lilley.
To contact the reporter on this story: Eddie Buckle in London at ebuckle@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alan Crawford at acrawford6@bloomberg.net, James Amott
-
Unhedged Position: Can India See An Indonesia-Style Time Correction?
The Nifty is trading below levels it first clocked in 2024. Is there, then, as I have suggested in the headline, potential that the current time correction drags on painfully for the next three-five, even ten years?
-
Navigating Friction And Energy Realities: An Analysis Of Marco Rubio's October Visit To India
Occurring at a critical juncture marked by stalled trade negotiations and escalating geopolitical pressures over global energy supplies, the visit offers a profound window into modern US-India relations.
-
India Exports Capital. Why Not Export Trusteeship?
The big question, then, is whether India can build an institution that global borrowers, investors, banks, and lawyers can trust, even without an Indian connection.
-
France's Economy & Politics Are In Crisis | The Reason Why
Let's look at how the French economy and politics evolved under Nicolas Sarkozy, Franois Hollande and Emmanuel Macron.
-
You May Inherit The Business. You Must Earn Its Credibility.
Succession tests the founder's ability to share authority as much as it tests the next generation's readiness to assume it.
-
Signing Deals Is One Thing; Making Them Work Is Another | The Week In Whys
Sometimes, things don't turn out as planned. Indian companies have lost some bids to rivals, some projects won't produce until 2030.
-
FOMC Wall, PERM Suspension, Hospital Stocks | Talking Points This Week
A PERM suspension would directly affect green-card sponsorship rather than H-1B visas, so the near-term earnings impact could remain relatively limited. The key question is whether this marks a new phase in US scrutiny of Indian IT.
-
Everything, Everywhere, All At Once: Dalal Street's Week To Forget | Joining The Dots
Visa curbs, a Starlink spat and cancer drug caps: what connects this week's shocks for Indian markets
-
India Is Going Abroad For Critical Minerals. But It May Take Years To Pay Off | The Reason Why
Although India's steps are in the right direction, they remain modest compared with India's growing dependence.
-
When Everyone Has AI, What Gives You An Edge?
India's young workforce is entering an uncertain world of work where powerful AI tools are becoming widely accessible. The advantage will belong to those who combine deep expertise with digital fluency, and the distinctly human capabilities that technology cannot manufacture.
