Home Secretary Sajid Javid reveals new delay in Brexit migrants plan as Cabinet division make it ‘very unlikely’ the paper will be published before May’s Brexit vote
Mr Javid refused to back the PM's target to reduce net immigration under 100,000 while other Cabinet members are siding him against the halt in low-skilled migration
SAJID Javid exposed a gaping Cabinet divide over Brexit immigration plans yesterday as he revealed they are being delayed again.
The Home Secretary said it was now “very unlikely” the Government’s White Paper will come out before the PM’s crunch Brexit vote next week.
And he admitted he didn’t accept all the recommendations of an independent committee praised by Theresa May for its suggestions on a new border regime.
He separately refused to back the PM’s target of bringing net migration down to the ‘tens of thousands’.
The Sun revealed No.10 and the Home Office were locked in a bitter row over when to bring the curtain down on low-skilled migration.
The PM wants to turn off the tap at the end of the transition period in December 2020.
But the Home Secretary wants to keep the border open to lower-skilled workers beyond that date in a sop to business.
The Immigration White Paper is due out tomorrow.
But challenged yesterday, Mr Javid said: “It’s unlikely, actually very unlikely.
“It will be published soon.”
He added: “The reality is I’m listening to my Cabinet colleagues, MPs, businesses and others.”
He also declined to say a recent fall in EU net migration was a success.
The Migration Watch think tank said Mr Javid’s hopes to delay a crackdown on low-skilled migrants would be a “serious blow to the reputation of the Government”.
Migration Watch chair Lord Green said: “He has simply not understood the strength of public feeling about uncontrolled immigration in many parts of the country.
“This looks like the worst of all worlds.”
The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) in September said the Government should slap severe restrictions low-skilled immigration after Brexit and instead remove a cap on high skilled migrants.
It suggested a minimum salary threshold for post-Brexit visas of £30,000 in bid to help blue-collar British workers get a pay rise.
Theresa May this weekend praised the MAC and said its recommendations were “very clear”.
Downing Street described its report as a “very competent bit of work”.
But Mr Javid would only say: “It sets a broad direction for us doesn’t mean we accept all the recommendations.”
He added: “Salary is an indicator, it’s not the only indicator of skill levels.”
Chancellor Philip Hammond and Business Secretary Greg Clark are both believed to be siding with Mr Javid.
A Cabinet source last week said Theresa May was in a “majority of one” by trying to halt low-skilled migration.
The row came as a separate report last night claimed 58 per cent of the public believe the Government is hiding the true cost of immigration to taxpayers and society.
The Henry Jackson Society added that 59 per cent believe those who have spoken out about immigration in the media and politics have “been treated unfairly”.
The Home Office separately added nationals from both Singapore and South Korea to the list of citizens who would be able to use e-passport gates at the British border – allowing them faster access to the UK.
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