Politics

That awkward moment when even a Telegraph journalist thinks the Tory immigration policy is a bit much

Oonagh Keating. Updated December 5th, 2023

On Monday, Home Secretary James Cleverly proved he’d thoroughly embraced the quantum leap into the shoes of his predecessor Suella Braverman by announcing some ill-considered and punitive measures to reduce immigration.

Here’s how Rishi Sunak misrepresented the announcement.

We've just announced the biggest ever cut in net migration. No Prime Minister has done this before in history. But the level of net migration is too high and it has to change. I am determined to do it. Community notes added - Latest (June 23) UK Net Migration data is up over 12 months, down over 6 following a high peak in Dec 22 "Net migration for YE June 2023 was 672,000, which is slightly higher compared with YE June 2022 (607,000) but down on our updated estimate for YE December 2022 (745,000)"

Amongst the proposals are:

Raising the minimum earnings required to get a skilled worker visa to £38,700.

Raising the minimum earnings required to be sponsored by a family member to £38,700.

Barring health and social care workers from bringing in dependants.

Reducing the amount of dependants overseas students can bring in.

Raising the NHS surcharge by more than 65 per cent.

The Government calculates that its full package of measures will reduce immigration by 300,000 – although it is unclear to anyone, including them, how that will be divided between workers and dependants.

Although health and social care workers will be exempt from meeting the new earnings threshhold because of the level of vacancies in that sector, it will form a substantial barrier to many other workers and post-graduate students, severely affecting NHS recruitment.

The news has been met with dismay and a lot of out and out mockery.

In a twist, Tim Stanley – the genius pro-Conservative Telegraph journalist who thinks Laurence Fox was radicalised by not getting leading roles in the RSC – has come out against the move in an explanatory thread.

A friend has just messaged in a blind panic to ask if @JamesCleverly ’s immigration plan means he can’t bring his partner into the country. The Gov is doubling the salary required of a British subject to bring a spouse or dependent into the country - to £38,700

So, if you fall in love & marry someone from overseas, that’s the income you need to settle them here. It’s very high. Something like 75% of us earn less than that. Is it fair to limit family formation to the rich? Is it conservative potentially to divide families?

If I’m reading this policy wrong, I’m very happy to be corrected, my friend doubly so.

The irony was not lost on anyone.

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Sam Freedman may have a good point.

The Government intends to announce measures to address the number of people arriving via small boats in the English Channel. We confidently predict they’ll involve piranhas.

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A journalist claimed Laurence Fox wouldn’t have turned to extremism if he’d been playing Macbeth at the National Theatre

Source Tim Stanley Image Screengrab