Home Secretary Amber Rudd to study Migration Watch immigration plan
The scheme would mean only highly-skilled workers with well-paid job offers would be allowed into Britain
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A hardline plan to curb immigration after Brexit put forward by the think tank Migration Watch will be studied by the Home Secretary, the group has been told.
The scheme – under which only highly-skilled workers with well-paid job offers would be allowed into Britain – would aim to slash EU immigration by as much as four fifths.
That cap would be raised if necessary to plug skill gaps identified by the Migration Advisory Council, meaning it would be decided by Government – not business.
Migration Watch believes this could cut net migration by 100,000, because 80 per cent of those who came to the UK to work in the last ten years were low-skilled.
However, imposing work permits on EU citizens would breach EU free movement rules and almost certainly eject Britain from Europe's single market for goods and services.
Nevertheless, at the weekend Home Secretary Amber Rudd confirmed she was considering work permits, after the idea of an Australian-style points-based system was rejected.
Ms Rudd is expected to be briefed on the plan by Lord Green, Migration Watch's chairman, next week. Whitehall sources told The Sun newspaper that Theresa May was “keen” on it.
Lord Green told The Sun that the Government risked getting “bogged down in a quagmire” if it tried to make immigration concessions for an EU trade deal.
He said: “The UK's service sector will obviously be affected by the loss of an endless supply of cheap labour from Europe.
“However, the present work force will be here for several years yet so employers will have time to adjust, perhaps by increasing wages and conditions for British workers.”
Significantly, Migration Watch had some success in influencing Ms May's immigration policies when she was Home Secretary.
Its blueprint would offer free movement for EU tourists, students, pensioners and other self-sufficient people as long as that was reciprocated.
A further deep cut to immigration would then be achieved by a much tougher regime against non-EU students who fail to leave at the end of their studies.
Net immigration currently stands at a near-record 327,000 a year. Ms Rudd has accepted the target to reduce that to “tens of thousands” – but warned it would take time.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments