Rishi Sunak refuses to commit to 2019 immigration manifesto pledge as Cabinet splits on issue
18 May 2023, 17:55
Rishi Sunak has refused to commit to Boris Johnson's target for cutting net migration - as numbers of those arriving in Britain fuels a significant Cabinet split.
The Prime Minister is not affirming the pledge that net migration will fall made by the Conservatives in 2019 - but has said that he does want the numbers to come down.
Mr Sunak said his premiership "inherited some numbers" in reference to Mr Johnson's plan to cut the numbers of people arriving in the UK.
Despite the rejection of the firm pledge - Sunak has made migration and small boat crossing a crucial part of his five promises on policy which are set to define the months leading up to next year's general election.
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A serious rift has emerged in Cabinet as anti-immigration hardliners want to cut the record numbers of people arriving - while more pragmatic parts of Sunak's government want loosened visa rules to fill gaps in the labour market.
Ms Braverman drew up plans earlier this year after a private briefing paper by Home Office officials predicted that immigration numbers will continue to hit record levels unless the government takes action.
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It comes after she gave a speech to the National Conservatism conference on Monday, in which she warned that numbers would need to be brought down dramatically before the next general election.
She said it would stop reliance on foreign labour and ease the pressure on housing, education, health and other public services.
A document titled Net Migration Briefing, which was revealed by the Telegraph on Tuesday, estimated that 1.1 million foreign workers and students will arrive in the UK in 2024.Five proposals were subsequently drawn up by Ms Braverman, which were seen by The Times.
They were: Increase the minimum salaries for companies employing skilled workers, make it harder to bring spouses to the UK, reduce the time foreign students can stay in the country after their course, ban them from bringing family members and remove students if they fail to finish their course.
A Whitehall source told the paper: "There are discussions happening around cabinet. The Home Office are not the only people with skin in the game. There’s the education secretary, health secretary, lots of moving parts to this.
"Yes, the Home Office has the levers of immigration, but it’s a whole-government decision on how we use those levers."
A Home Office source said: "Discussions are still ongoing and nothing has been decided - this is a whole-of-government approach where we want to find the right balance."
