Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to bring down net migration by the end of this parliament with a system that is “controlled, selective and fair”.
However the prime minister has refused to say how far he wants figures to fall, only saying numbers will come down “substantially”.
Politics latest: Starmer announces sweeping migration crackdown
Sir Keir was delivering a news conference after the government announced plans for new English language and British citizenship requirements in order to bring migration down, ahead of an Immigration White Paper to be published later this morning.
The prime minister said: “Some people think controlling immigration is reining in a sort of natural freedom, rather than the basic and reasonable responsibility of the government to make choices that work for a nation’s economy.
“And for years, this seems to have muddled our thinking. But let me be clear, it ends now. We will create a migration system that is controlled, selective, and fair.”
Asked if that means net migration will fall, he said it would “fall substantially by the end of this parliament” – but didn’t give a specific target.
He said it wasn’t sensible “to put a hard-edged cap on it ” as that has “been done in one form or another for the best part of 10 years by different prime ministers” and never worked.
However he pledged to go “further and faster” if needed, saying record high levels of net migration over the past few years have “tested the theory” it can lead to economic growth.
Net migration – the difference between the number of people immigrating and emigrating to a country – soared when the UK left the EU in January 2020.
It reached 903,000 in the year to June 2023 before falling to 728,000 in mid-2024. But that is still well above its pre-Brexit high of 329,000 in the year up to June 2015.
Keir Starmer
The government is under pressure to tackle legal migration, as well as illegal immigration, amid Reform UK’s surge in the polls.
‘This is what I believe in’
However Sir Keir insisted cutting migration is something he believes in, saying parts of our economy “seem almost addicted to importing cheap labour” rather than investing in skills at home.
He said: “On a day like today, people who like politics will try to make this all about politics, about this or that strategy targeting these voters, responding to that party.
“No, I’m doing this because it is right, because it is fair, and because this is what I believe in.”
Other plans announced by the government this week include raising the skills visa threshold to require a degree and a higher salary.
On Sunday Home Secretary Yvette Cooper also told Sky News the government would close the care worker visa route – provoking a strong backlash from the sector and unions.
Care leaders say they are reliant on overseas workers because of a recruitment crisis driven primarily by low wages.
It is not clear how the government plans to boost the domestic workforce, but Sir Keir said the immigration white paper will “deal with skills and training”.
PM ‘changing his tone’
Conservative shadow minister Matt Vickers told Sky News the government should cut the employer National Insurance rise for care homes rather than stopping foreign workers coming into the sector, saying “the reality is it doesn’t pay very well” and “we need people manning those care homes tomorrow”.
On the government’s wider plans, he accused the prime minister of “changing his tone” by sounding tough on immigration and said his measures don’t go far enough.
“This is the karma Chameleon, he is changing his tone. You know, we heard what he was saying before he was elected, we heard him praise freedom of movement before, this is a guy who is saying one thing and doing another. “
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