“We are taking decisive action to restore control and order to the immigration system.”
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Cooper said the new rules “must be respected and enforced. These changes are essential to end the chaos left by the Tories in the immigration system, and to regain control”.
Migration surge
While post-Brexit changes to visas precipitated a sharp drop in the number of EU migrants to Britain, new work visa rules and people arriving from Ukraine and Hong Kong under special visa schemes contributed to the immigration surge.
Nigel Farage addresses supporters and the media as Reform UK celebrates historic local election victories.Credit: Getty Images
Net migration, or the number of people coming to Britain minus the number leaving, rose to a record 906,000 people in the year to June 2023, up from the 184,000 people who had arrived in the same period during 2019, when Britain was still in the EU.
Figures published on Sunday show that the proportion of skilled worker visas below graduate level increased from 10 per cent in 2021 to around 50 per cent in 2024, the Telegraph reported.
Chris Philp, the opposition Conservatives’ home affairs spokesman, said the proposed measures did not go far enough.
He called on Labour to support a binding cap on immigration and his party’s proposal to repeal the entire Human Rights Act from immigration matters.
Reuters / Bloomberg
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