Rishi Sunak has blamed Boris Johnson for high levels of net migration, saying he “inherited these very high numbers” and is determined to bring them down.
The Prime Minister has vowed to “do what it takes” to reduce net migration, as he comes under pressure from the right of his party to reduce the number of new arrivals to the UK before the next election.
Revised estimates last week showed that net migration will hit a record 745,000 in 2022, following post-Brexit changes to the immigration system introduced under Boris Johnson. Net migration for the year to June 2023 is estimated to have been slightly lower at 672,000.
Robert Jenrick, the immigration minister, has since claimed that he tried to push through a plan to reduce net migration a year ago, and Conservative backbenchers are pressing for a more sweeping overhaul of the visa system.
His comments appeared to express frustration at the government’s failure to adopt his proposals to curb overall migration in line with a 2019 manifesto pledge to bring levels below 250,000. Jenrick is reported to have his own five-point plan, which he has submitted to No 10.
Asked whether he had blocked Jenrick’s plan to cut net migration a year ago and whether he supported the idea of an overall cap, Sunak said: “We have already taken significant action, but we are prepared to do more.
“We’re restricting the number of dependents that people who are students can bring here – that will affect over 150,000 student dependents, that’s a very significant measure coming in next year. We’ve increased visa fees across the board by up to 35%.
Sunak said he had “inherited” the figures from his predecessors but was “determined” to bring them down to “sustainable levels”.
Speaking during a visit to Guildford, Surrey, on Thursday, he told reporters: “The levels of legal migration into this country are simply too high.
“I inherited these very high numbers and I’m determined to do what is necessary to bring them down to sustainable levels.”
He said the government was considering independent advice and would “bring forward measures to reduce the levels of migration” that were “putting unsustainable pressure on public services”.
The government is considering cutting the number of dependants foreign care workers can bring to the UK. But experts have warned that severe restrictions on migration could damage the economy at a time of staff shortages in key sectors.
Suella Braverman, who was sacked as home secretary, has claimed that the prime minister reneged on a deal to implement measures such as capping the number of work visas or raising the minimum wage during her time in office.
Sunak, backed by David Cameron, the foreign secretary, and James Cleverly, the home secretary, is believed to be reluctant to give in to demands to block human rights legislation so that asylum seekers can be sent to Rwanda.
