British firms will NOT be forced to ‘name and shame’ foreign workers after Government makes dramatic U-turn
Home Secretary Amber had to deny she was racist after announcing the controversial policy
BRITISH firms will not be forced to “name and shame” the number and nationality of foreign workers working for them after a dramatic U-turn by ministers.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon “absolutely ruled out” companies being asked to reveal the information following a Government retreat.
Critics had slammed the proposals while Home Secretary Amber Rudd was forced to deny she was racist after announcing at Tory party conference companies would have to “be clear” about the numbers of foreign workers they hired.
She said ”international” workers should not be able to “take the jobs that British people should do”.
The plans provoked an angry backlash from her own Remain-campaigning brother Roland Rudd, the British Chambers of Commerce and senior Tories.
Brexit-backer Steve Hilton – David Cameron’s former policy guru - said they were “divisive, repugnant and insanely bureaucratic”.
He said ministers might as well say “foreign workers will be tattooed with numbers on their forearms”.
Despite the row, a poll last week found the majority of the public backed the idea.
The YouGov survey said 60 per cent of the public supported the Government’s proposal.
But two Cabinet ministers were rolled out to insist the data would not be published.
Defence secretary Michael Fallon said they would be asking firms to report their numbers but no one would be identified.
He said: “What I can absolutely rule out is that we will not be asking companies to list or publish or name or identify in any way the number of foreign workers they have.
“We’re going to consult with business, and the consultation document hasn’t even been published yet, on how we can do more encourage companies - to incentivise them - to look first at the British labour market.
“And to offer these jobs to British people, which is what the British people would expect, before they import labour more cheaply from abroad.”
Education secretary Justine Greening added: “This is not data that will be published. There will be absolutely no naming and shaming”
She added: “This is about informing policy so that we understand particularly which areas and parts of the country where there are skill shortages evidenced by the fact that employers are not taking local workers as much as they might do.”
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Downing Street sources said there was never any intention to publish the information and Ms Rudd’s comments had been “misrepresented”.
A Home Office spokesman said the idea was to simply compile the numbers to inform Government policy, similarly to how it’s done in the US.
Labour’s Diane Abbott said last night the Tories were in “disarray” over their policy.