Labor has announced its plans to reduce net migration – with Sir Keir Starmer accusing the Conservatives of having “repeatedly broken their promises” to reduce the number.
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Figures published after Rishi Sunak called the general election showed that a net 685,000 people arrived in the UK last year – down from the record 764,000 in 2022.
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The 2023 number is still three times the number from 2019, when the last election took place. The Conservatives promised, in their manifesto this year, to reduce net migration.
In 2012, when data from the Office for National Statistics begins, the migration balance was just under 200,000.
Mr Keir said he wants any government he leads to prohibit “the practices employed by companies that exploit the migration system, illegally harming working conditions.”
Tonight’s announcement reflects policies proposed by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper in November last year, and some bear similarities to the government’s current objectives.
Sir Keir added: “With Labour, Britain will rely less on migration, training more UK workers.
“The Conservatives have repeatedly broken their promises to reduce net migration. Since 2010, they have published four manifestos promising to reduce the migration balance.”
The Labor leader said he wants to force parts of Whitehall to cooperate so that “migration triggers a plan to train UK workers and improve jobs”.
Employment sectors such as healthcare and construction, which have relied on migration to fill “skills gaps”, will be forced to draw up workforce plans, with another pledge to reform the points-based migration system.
The aim, according to the Labor Party, is to “encourage skills training rather than looking abroad”.
One promise is to prohibit employers and agencies that violate labor laws from hiring foreign workers.
Another is to prevent “workplace exploitation” of foreign workers from being used to reduce wages.
Some members of the Conservative Party have claimed that Labor is overhauling policies the government has already enacted.
The government previously committed to raising the cap on visa salary requirements and promised to eliminate the “foreign labor shortage by cutting prices” by eliminating discounts on visa salary requirements for those in short-staffed sectors.
Employers wishing to join the list of missing professions must demonstrate that they are also training domestic workers.
Conservative candidate Jonathan Gullis tweeted that “no one buys” Sir Keir’s plans.
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A spokesman for Reform UK, which is campaigning heavily to reduce immigration, said: “Sir Keir’s first suggestion is to prosecute a law that already exists about illegally paying below the minimum wage, the other is a desire pious.
“Labor’s offer is nothing new and it won’t make a difference. If you want to make a change, vote for reform to freeze immigration.”
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