General election: Labour and Conservatives row over immigration
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Labour and the Conservatives traded blows over immigration policy today, as both shed light on their respective plans.
The Tories revealed details of a points-based immigration system that would see “equal” treatment of EU and non-EU citizens.
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The vast majority of immigration applicants would need a job offer under the policy and would need to wait five years to be eligible to claim benefits.
Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott labelled the plans as a “Tory race to the bottom” and that “Trump would be proud” of the proposals.
Meanwhile, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told the BBC there would be a “great deal” of EU immigration if he becomes Prime Minister.
However, he stopped short of saying freedom of movement with the EU would continue.
“A lot of EU nationals have made their homes in this country and made a massive contribution to our society,” he said. “So they absolutely must have the right to remain and bring their families here.”
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab said Corbyn “refuses to be straight with people on immigration” and that a Labour government would lead to a surge in new arrivals.
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Raab also revealed further details of the Tories’ immigration plans, which include banning serious criminals from moving to the UK, increasing the health surcharge for international workers and spending £20m on border protection.
“We want to be able to plug gaps in specific sectors, whether it is the NHS or elsewhere but what you don’t want to do is encourage a reliance on cheap labour from abroad which has a depressing effect on wages,” he said.