November 28, London: On Thursday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised to crack down on immigration after official data showed higher-than-expected net migration numbers, which had fallen short of 166,000 for the previous year.
During a news conference at 10 Downing Street, Starmer delivered a blistering attack on the previous Conservative Party government, telling reporters that the Tories were “running an open borders experiment” and that the Labour government was left with a “incredible legacy failure” of record immigration levels.
It followed the release of the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) most recent migration data, which showed that the ONS had increased its net migration projection for the year ending in June 2023 from the initial estimate of 740,000 to 906,000.
The Tory government in power at the time called the “shock” of the previous year a “different order of failure,” even if net migration to the UK decreased by 20% to 728,000 after that period in the year to June 2024.
“The Conservative Party has repeatedly pledged to lower the numbers. They repeatedly failed,” Starmer remarked.
“A failure of this magnitude is not merely a case of bad luck, a worldwide trend, or a distraction. No, the order of failure here is different. “This was intentional, not a coincidence,” he stated.
“I’ve stated before the election that I want to see a major decrease in immigration, and I’ll reiterate that here today. Therefore, that entails putting pressure on the factors that have caused it to rise to this level,” he continued.
Starmer cited a variety of steps that will crack down on “rogue employers” and restrict visas that represent a “over-reliance on the easy answer of recruiting from abroad,” but he declined to place a “arbitrary cap” on numbers.
Indians continue to make up the majority of foreign-born migrants in the EU, according to ONS data, in both the work and student visa categories.
According to the ONS, in YE (year ending) June 2024, “Indian was the most common nationality for non-EU+ immigration for both work-related (116,000) and study-related (127,000) reasons.”
The post-study Graduate Route visa, which was introduced in 2021, is one of the causes contributing to the increased revision of migration data, since more overseas students tend to stay in the UK than in prior years.
India, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe all have extremely low percentages of early departures on work visas, according to the ONS.
“China has a significantly higher percentage of early leavers on study visas than both Nigeria and India, which have similarly low percentages.”
An “early leaver” is a person who enters the country on a long-term visa but does not remain for a minimum of 12 months, therefore not becoming a long-term migrant.
“In our manifesto, we pledged to take all necessary steps to guarantee that those who misuse our immigration system suffer the worst penalties possible. Regarding crackdowns announced by the Home Office this week, UK Minister for Migration and Citizenship Seema Malhotra stated, “Employers will no longer be able to disregard the regulations with little repercussion or take advantage of foreign workers for expenses they were always supposed to pay if they choose not to recruit domestically.”
It limits the capacity of firms to sponsor foreign workers by imposing sanctions on those who violate work visa regulations for a minimum of two years, double the present duration. According to the Home Office, the new authorities will guarantee that companies that hire people from other countries must cover the related expenses themselves.
Former Tory ministers, meanwhile, responded on social media, concentrating on the more recent decline in numbers for the fiscal year that ended in June 2024.
“The improvements I pushed for and adopted in May 2023 as Home Secretary have resulted in a 20% decrease in immigration since June 2023. We began to turn the tide at that point,” said Suella Braverman, a former home secretary.
Opposition Leader Kemi Badenoch said Wednesday, ahead of the release of the most recent ONS data, that the Tories must acknowledge their failures in allowing migration to reach record highs during their tenure.
She stated that the Conservative Party would support stricter access to British passports and have “zero tolerance” for foreign criminals remaining in the UK. “As the new leader, it is right that I, as the new leader, accept responsibility and say honestly we got it wrong,” she said.
“British Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised to crack down on immigration”