Discuss - Immigration Immigration Numbers - Introduction of a temporary immigration cap

Should we introduce a temporary cap or 'emergency brake' on the number of immigrants to the UK?

Conservative Conservatives have ruled out a temporary cap or 'emergency brake' on migrant numbers on EU freedom of movement rules, claiming they would be less effective than reducing incentives for people to come to the UK. On 26th February Immigration Minister James Brokenshire "said for some time that our target of reducing net migration... would not be met because of the pressures from the EU.". Source: BBC News.

Green Party "Greens: Progressively reduce UK immigration controls." Source: BBC Manifesto Watch, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-29642613

Labour Labour's Yvette Cooper has said that the Conservatives were wrong focusing on net migration, and should have taken extra steps to strengthen border controls to tackle illegal immigration. Source: BBC News http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-31638174 "The net migration target is a meaningless one, Labour's David Hanson tells Daily Politics. The shadow immigration minister is pressed over whether Labour has a target number. Mr Hanson refuses to do so, saying he is interested in the long term interests of the British economy. He does say he would take students out of the immigration figures - "about 80,000 a year". Source: BBC News http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-31631977

UKIP UKIP migration spokesman Steven Woolfe told the Daily Politics show on 26th February 2015 that the party would introduce a cap on gross migration into the UK of "50,000 for those who have the right to work with the option for permanent residence", which would "take out 167,000 of these figures [currently 298,000 migrants] each year". However, on the 4th March the party leader Nigel Farage said that they would not set a yearly target, with 20,000-50,000 migrants being given work permits.

Comment on this topic