Parliamentary group calls for tighter immigration controls
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Monday, 08, Sep 2008 09:21
An all party parliamentary group of MPs and peers including Labour MP Frank Field has recommended immigration controls similar to those seen in countries such as Australia.
The group working with campaign group Migrationwatch suggests that without balanced migration the UK population would spiral out of control rising to 78.6 million people by the middle of this century based on current population growth projections.
In a 59-page report published today called Balanced Migration: a new approach to immigration the group suggests there should be an annual limit of up to 20,000 immigrants a year allowed into the UK from non-EU countries – although it stresses the figure is for illustrative purposes only.
That said the paper still raises the spectre of annual immigration quotas suggesting this is the only way to control population growth and arguing that such measures are necessary because of the strain large population growth places on public services. The cross party group has suggested however that it is not calling for annual quotas but that immigration should be linked to the number of people leaving the country annually.
The report also calls for those people in the UK on work visas to be limited to a stay of four years only, before being required to move on.
Those who wished to stay would be required to apply through a further points system which would be based on the skills they brought to the country through the job they performed and the salary they earned, deemed to be the best measure of the experience they had gained in Britain.
However, there would be exceptions for scientific, intellectual or artistic skills.
Moreover, Migrationwatch suggests limited immigration would be a vote winner arguing that there is "massive backing for a substantial cut in immigration levels from supporters of all parties."
A YouGov poll commissioned by the cross party group, found the Conservatives most likely to adopt a policy of limited immigration and says in doing so they would be likely to improve their support among a significant number of Labour and Liberal Democrat voters.
The poll says 81 per cent of Labour voters want to see a substantial reduction in current immigration numbers. Of those, 36 per cent think that balanced migration is about the right level, but the other 45 per cent think even that is too high.
The story is very similar among Liberal Democrat supporters, 83 per cent of whom the poll suggests want to see much lower immigration. Of these, 43 per cent support balanced migration, while 40 per cent believe the limit should be even lower.
Among Conservative supporters 89 per cent want a sharp reduction in immigration. Of these, 23 per cent support balanced migration, while 66 per cent want even tougher limits.
The poll also shows that 33 per cent of the electorate would be more likely to vote Conservative if David Cameron were to adopt immigration controls as a policy compared with only 5 per cent who would be less likely to support him.
Migrationwatch chairman Sir Andrew Green said the poll clearly showed voters from across board, including ethnic minorities, strongly supported a policy at least as firm as the one suggested by the campaign group. He said: "Concern about the present massive uncontrolled level of immigration is not a partisan issue. I hope that all the political parties will now get the message and engage in a constructive debate about balanced migration in the months ahead."