05 December 2023 , 08:22
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Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick appeared to go off message as he suggested more measures could be required to cut legal migration.
Despite not being Government policy the senior Tory also said an annual cap on migration had "merits" while warning: "More things may need to be done". His comments came less than 24 hours after the Home Secretary James Cleverly announced a migration crackdown in the House of Commons.
The plans include raising the salary threshold for foreign workers from £26,200 to £38,700 and a ban on foreign care workers bringing dependents to the UK. Caroline Abrahams, Age UK charity director, feared "older and disabled people in need of care and their families will pay a heavy price for the Government's changes".
The minimum income required to bring a partner from overseas to the UK will also be increased from £18,600 to £38,700 - shutting many people out.
But speaking on Tuesday the Immigration Minister Mr Jenrick conceded there would be "merits" to introducing an annual cap on net migration. It was put to him that the plan to slash the number of people arriving in Britain by 300,000 a year still falls short of the Tory election manifesto target to reduce "overall numbers" in 2019, when the net migration figure was around 219,000.
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He swerved questions on Times Radio on whether that goal could be reached by the next election, saying: "I have argued for this package of measures, that we have to meet our manifesto commitment, and that is a matter of trust and ensuring that the democratic will of the public who have voted for parties who sought lower levels of net migration is delivered."
Asked whether a cap on numbers is a good idea, Mr Jenrick said: "There are merits to ideas like that. "But what matters now is action. The public wants to see us actually deliver reducing levels of net migration, as I've been very clear, that people are sick of talk on this topic."
Speaking in the Commons on Tuesday the Home Secretary Mr Cleverly appeared to reject the idea of a cap on numbers, saying it would be "difficult" in practical terms. He said: "We would want to make sure we are being as generous as possible to the people who contribute to our society and to our economy, and recognise that not every single individual, the difference between a child that would count as one person against a cap, or to an investor that may bring a huge number of job, they are not the same and we want to be able to make the difference between the two.”
Mr Jenrick also told GB News more migration policies may be required, saying: "I've been very clear that net migration is far too high. That's why we've worked so hard to bring forward this very significant set of measures. "You're right to say that more things may need to be done, but without question this is a big step forward."
On Tuesday the Home Secretary also arrived in Rwanda's capital Kigali in a desperate attempt to resurrect the failed deportation scheme. He is due to meet the country's foreign affairs minister Vincent Biruta to sign the new asylum treaty after the Supreme Court torpedoed the plans last month. The Home Office said the new treaty will "address concerns" raised in the ruling, including "assurances that Rwanda will not remove anybody transferred under the partnership to another country".