Social care workers ‘will not be exempt from tough post-Brexit immigration rules even if there are staff shortages, Home Secretary Priti Patel tells Cabinet’ as the government works to end ‘spaghetti mess’ border control
- Priti Patel reportedly told Cabinet there would be no ‘carve outs’ in new system
- Means no guarantee low-skilled workers in key sectors will be allowed into UK
- UK’s post-Brexit immigration system will be rolled out in full in January 2020
- Boris Johnson poised to ditch plan to impose an earnings threshold for migrants
Social care workers and other low-skilled migrants in key sectors will not be exempt from tough post-Brexit immigration rules even if there are shortages, Priti Patel reportedly told Cabinet.
The Home Secretary apparently set out on Tuesday that there will be no so-called ‘carve outs’ under Boris Johnson’s Australian-style points-based immigration system as the government tries to simplify British border control.
Migrants who want to work in occupations in which the UK has a shortage could be awarded more points under the new regime to boost their chances of being allowed in.
But with no ‘carve outs’ there would effectively be no guarantees that such workers would be able to come and work in the UK in a development likely to spark business concern.
Priti Patel, pictured in Downing Street on Tuesday, reportedly told Cabinet that there would not be any ‘carve outs’ in the UK’s post-Brexit immigration system
A Cabinet source told The Times that the aim was to make the new system much clearer than the current one.
They said: ‘The immigration rules have become a real spaghetti mess. Even the judges think that’s the case.
‘Priti was arguing that we need a much clearer rules-based system. She doesn’t want a system with carve-outs all over the place.’
It came after it emerged that Mr Johnson is planning to scrap a minimum earnings threshold for migrants who want to move to the UK.
The PM is expected to ditch a proposal put forward by Theresa May’s government which would have required people to earn at least £30,000 to come to Britain.
Instead, the new system is likely to take into account earnings but it will be just one of a myriad of factors considered.
Boris Johnson, pictured in the House of Commons yesterday, is set to ditch plans to impose a minimum earnings threshold on migrants who want to move to the UK after Brexit
However, the prospect of dropping the £30,000 threshold has prompted Tory concerns amid worries it will make it much harder to deliver on a pledge to cut overall migration.
Sir Iain Duncan Smith, a leading Brexiteer and a former leader of the Conservative Party, said other measures would be needed to fulfill the Tory promise to ‘take back control’ of the UK’s borders after it has left the European Union.
He said: ‘They should be cautious about ditching the £30,000 threshold.
‘They will need to have very strong checks in place to ensure that they deliver on their pledge to control immigration.’