Former immigration minister Robert Jenrick has advocated for the implementation of a cap on net immigration to the United Kingdom, emphasizing the necessity for a more restrictive immigration system.
In his commentary, Mr. Jenrick expressed skepticism regarding the efficacy of the Government’s recently passed Rwanda Bill in curbing illegal migration, suggesting it may not deter refugees from crossing the English Channel in small boats. He further underscored his concerns about legal migration, labeling it “a bigger scandal” due to the significantly higher numbers involved. Mr. Jenrick proposed the introduction of a cap on legal migration, urging colleagues to aim for levels in the “tens of thousands.”
In an op-ed for The Sunday Telegraph, Mr. Jenrick asserted the need to reduce net migration to the “tens of thousands,” advocating for a system that attracts high-skilled, high-wage migrants who can contribute positively to the economy. He argued that implementing a cap on migration is essential for politicians to fulfill promises made to voters and suggested that such a cap should be subject to parliamentary approval through a Migration Budget Debate.
Mr. Jenrick resigned from his position as immigration minister in December, citing disagreement with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda deportation plan, which he believed would not effectively deter asylum seekers arriving via small boats.
In response to Mr. Jenrick’s call for a cap on net immigration, Home Office minister Chris Philp declined to advocate for a hard cap at the present time. However, he highlighted measures already enacted to reduce legal migration, including increasing salary thresholds and limiting the number of dependents allowed to enter with migrants. Mr. Philp affirmed the government’s commitment to significantly reducing legal migration, particularly low-skilled migration, in favor of admitting a smaller number of high-skilled migrants.