Business says PM is giving the wrong answer on immigration
Business groups roundly rejected the Prime Minister’s latest proposals to cut migration, saying they were “not the answer,” “far less business-friendly” and a “red herring” in the immigration debate.
Speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday, David Cameron said that the independent Migration Advisory Committee (Mac) was looking at proposals to cut non-European work migration, including a new tax on employers hiring overseas and a rise in the minimum salary thresholds for migrant workers.
CBI deputy director-general Katja Hall said: “Limiting highly skilled workers from coming to the UK is not the answer.”
“They bring their skills and ideas to this country, pay their taxes here and boost growth,” she said, adding, “The current cap on skilled visa numbers is less than one-tenth of one per cent of the labour market.”
Paul Raynes, director of policy at EEF, was equally critical, saying Cameron’s statement was “likely to lead to a far less business-friendly immigration policy,” while Institute of Directors director general Simon Walker called the move a “red herring” and “particularly odd, given how dependent the UK economy is on international skills.”