British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has promised to introduce a legal cap to curb immigration levels if re-elected. He said if the party returned to power, lawmakers would vote to set immigration levels.
Sunak said in a statement. “By capping migration numbers each year, we will ensure that public services are protected and housing is not overburdened, while still bringing the skills our businesses and NHS (National Health Service) need.”
Immigration is a key issue for Britain
Immigration is an issue that has dominated Britain’s political debate for more than a decade. It played a role in the Brexit referendum.
Sunak brought in new rules this year to cut legal migration, including barring international students from bringing in family members and increasing the salary threshold for skilled worker visas.
Annual net migration to Britain fell to 685,000 in 2023 from a record high of 764,000 in 2022.
“We have taken bold action to cut the number of people coming to this country. The plan is working but migration levels are still too high, so we are going further.”
Sunak and his party heading for big election loss
The Conservative party is heading towards its biggest election loss in over a century.
The Conservative government’s flagship policy to send asylum seekers who arrive in Britain without permission to Rwanda for processing has faced legal and parliamentary obstacles.
The state of the country’s health service, the economy and immigration is seen as the most important problems in Britain at present.
With inputs from Reuters
