Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Theresa May to vow to cut immigration 'for the national interest'

Home Secretary argues that current levels are hitting schools, hospitals and housing and driving down wages

Nigel Morris
Deputy Political Editor
Monday 05 October 2015 20:06 EDT
Comments
Theresa May will give a speech on Tuesday, vowing to cut immigration
Theresa May will give a speech on Tuesday, vowing to cut immigration (Rex)

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.

Theresa May, the Home Secretary, will vow to cut immigration, arguing that current levels are hitting schools, hospitals and housing and driving down wages.

Her tough stance comes after net annual migration hit 330,000, the highest level on record, which has wrecked David Cameron’s promise to cut it to tens of thousands.

She will tell the Tory conference: “There is no case, in the national interest, for immigration of the scale we have experienced over the last decade.”

Ms May will say that people on the “extremes” of the debate conflate refugees with economic migrants. “There are millions of people in poorer countries who would love to live in Britain, and there is a limit to the amount of immigration any country can and should take.”

“When immigration is too high, when the pace of change is too fast, it’s impossible to build a cohesive society. It’s difficult for schools and hospitals and core infrastructure like housing and transport to cope. And we know that for people in low-paid jobs, wages are forced down even further while some people are forced out of work altogether.”

She will cite research which, she will say, concludes that “at best the net economic and fiscal effect of high immigration is close to zero”.

PC Death: May appeals for help

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in