Rishi Sunak to unveil package of measures to slash record net migration figures
Lee Anderson calls for a cap on migration to the UK
Rishi Sunak is set to unveil a package of measures to slash record net migration figures.
The Prime Minister is expected to hike the salary threshold for skilled foreign workers from £26,200 to more than £35,000.
Mr Sunak has been under high pressure after revised estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed net migration to the UK reached a record 745,000 in 2022.
This was higher than previously thought and prompted Tory calls for curbs.
Net migration – the difference between the number of people arriving and leaving the country – for the year to June 2023 is estimated to have been 672,000.
A senior Whitehall source told The Telegraph: “People will be surprised at how strong a package it is.”
Tory MPs last month warned Mr Sunak the issue of immigration is “do or die” for the party after the ONS figures were released.
The New Conservatives highlighted how the Tories promised to reduce numbers at the 2019 general election but they have since gone up.
The group, made up of Conservative MPs elected since the Brexit referendum, said in a statement: “The word ‘existential’ has been used a lot in recent days but this really is ‘do or die’ for our party.
“Each of us made a promise to the electorate. We don’t believe that such promises can be ignored.”
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