No10 slapped down Liam Fox today after he hinted that the target for slashing net immigration below 100,000 a year could be ditched after Brexit.
The Trade Secretary pointedly refused to endorse the goal – championed by Theresa May – staying in place after the UK leaves the EU.
Instead he made clear the policy would be ‘reviewed’ once ties with Brussels have been cut.
The comments fueled speculation that ministers are preparing to make concessions to the EU over border controls in a bid to break the deadlock in negotiations.
But Downing Street sources quickly stepped in to insist the target would stay in place. ‘We remain committed to bringing net migration down to sustainable levels – the tens of thousands,’ a source said.
Trade Secretary Liam Fox (pictured delivering a speech in Westminster today) has pointedly refused to endorse the net migration goal – championed by Theresa May – staying in place after the UK leaves the EU
Mrs May has insisted ending free movement is a red line – but there have been rumours that citizens for the bloc could still get preferential treatment after Brexit.
The target for bringing net long-term migration below 100,000 a year was set by David Cameron in 2010, but has never been met. In the run-up to the EU referendum in 2016, the figure hit 330,000.
The level has dipped since then but data published last month showed it was still 280,000.
In a round of broadcast interviews today, Dr Fox said voters could see there was a difference between people coming to work and those who exploited services.
‘The government has said there needs to be controls over total immigration,’ he told LBC Radio.
‘And I think that one of the things that was clear from the referendum was that the public do not want unlimited movement into the United Kingdom.
‘I think the public can differentiate between people who come here with a job and will be contributing to the economy and those who under free movement were able to come to the United Kingdom and use our public services without every having contributed to them.’
Theresa May – pictured in Scotland earlier this month – has been battling to get a Brexit deal with the EU
David Cameron set the target for bringing net migration into the tens of thousands.
Pushed on the ‘tens of thousands’ target, Dr Fox said he supported government policy – but hinted that it could change.
‘That’s the government target and we’ll be reviewing what we do post-Brexit,’ he said.
‘I think we need to look in the future at how we match our employment opportunities with our migration policy.
‘The big problem with free movement from Europe was that people were able to come to Great Britain without having a job and they were able to use our public services like schools and hospitals and housing without ever having contributed.
‘I don’t think the public think that is fair and neither do I.’
The Downing Street source said: ‘There is no consent in Britain for uncontrolled immigration.
‘We are developing an immigration system that will continue to attract and retain people who come here to work and bring significant benefits, but will not offer an open door to those who don’t.’