Boris Johnson REFUSES to commit to cutting immigration after Brexit

BORIS JOHNSON was accused of “betraying” the Brexit vote last night after failing to commit to cutting sky-high net migration if he becomes Prime Minister.

In an astonishing move, the former Vote Leave champion refused to say he would bring numbers down if he replaces Theresa May.

Speaking at the Sun/Talk Radio debate, he said: “What I want to see with immigration is control.

“I’m not going to get into numbers with you.”

Rival Jeremy Hunt, who as Health Secretary, called for looser immigration rules for doctors and nurses, immediately countered that Brexit voters would feel let down.

And he insisted the Tories were duty bound to find a way of cutting migration. He said: “They [voters] voted with an expectation that net migration will come down.

What I want to see with immigration is control. I’m not going to get into numbers with you.

Boris Johnson

“And I think that people will think we are betraying the spirit of that referendum if we didn’t find a way of bringing down the numbers.

“The way you do that is by training people in this country so we don’t need to bring in people.”

Theresa May famously committed to bringing net migration below the “tens of thousands” as Home Secretary in 2010.

“But the Tories have never once hit the target as EU immigration spiralled to record levels. Official figures in May revealed net migration in 2018 hit 258,000 after a rise in immigration from OUTSIDE the EU.

I think that people will think we are betraying the spirit of that referendum if we didn’t find a way of bringing down the numbers

Jeremy Hunt

Last week, Boris Johnson enraged the arch Eurosceptics in his camp by confirming he plans to award an amnesty to illegal immigrants who had been in the country for “12 years or more”.

Speaking at a hustings at the weekend, Boris said: “there are half a million people alone who are not able to take part in the economy [or] pay taxes because they have failed to declare their presence in society.

“I don’t think it’s commonsensical to think we can deport them all.”

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