Soella Braverman pushes for reduced immigration at a conference hit by protests

[ad_1]

Brightcove video playback

Soella Braverman has said training UK workers as fruit pickers and truck drivers is one way to lower immigration figures, reports Carl Dineen, political correspondent for ITV News.

By Louis Dennison, ITV News Westminster Producer

Suella Braverman suggested the UK train its workforce of fruit pickers and truck drivers rather than importing foreign labour, in a speech that was expected to focus on immigration but repeatedly referenced other contentious issues.

“We need to bring down the overall immigration numbers and we must not forget how to do things for ourselves,” said the Home Secretary, whose speech at the Conservative National Convention was interrupted by Extinction Rebellion protesters.

This comes ahead of official figures released later in May which are expected to show net migration of between 650,000 and 997,000.

Ms Braverman claimed that “there is no good reason why we could not train enough heavy truck drivers, butchers or fruit pickers”.

“Brexit enables us to build a highly skilled, higher-wage economy that is less dependent on low-skill foreign labour.”

It is not clear whether there is an appetite among British workers to fill vacancies in the agriculture and logistics sector, but visa requirements have been eased several times since the UK left the EU, to encourage low-skilled foreign workers in those industries.

Her speech was seen as a warning to cabinet colleagues against relaxing immigrant visa rules amid reports of unions pressuring the government to do so.

“You can’t migrate without integration,” said Ms Braverman – the architect of the controversial illegal immigration law, which will automatically deport almost everyone who crosses the English Channel in a small boat.

She attacked what she described as an “untested approach to multiculturalism” as a “recipe for societal disaster”.

“People who come here must embrace and respect this country. They must not commit crimes. They may or may not practice any religion, and they must respect the right of everyone else to do the same.”

“They need to learn English and understand British social norms and norms, and that doesn’t mean they can’t enrich and add to our culture. Above all, they can’t simply come and say, ‘I live here now, you have to look after me.'”

The theme of cutting immigration was continued by fellow conservatives Danny Kruger and Miriam Kates, who also spoke at the national conservative convention.

It describes itself as a gathering of people who “understand that the past and future of conservatism are closely linked to the idea of ​​the nation, the principle of national independence, and the revival of unique national traditions.”

National conservatism, she says, is “the best way forward for a democratic world faced by a rising China abroad and a powerful neo-Marxism at home”.

Labor Deputy Leader Angela Rayner said that “the true face of the modern Conservative Party” revealed itself at the conference, adding that the Conservatives “have nothing to offer the country but more failures, more excuses and more divisive politics”.

“Rather than focusing on the cost of living crisis, the state of the NHS, crime or homebuilding, Tory MPs and Cabinet ministers have chosen instead to stage a carnival of conspiracy theory and self-pity,” she said.

“Until Rishi Sunak finds the backbone to stand up to the cranks in his party, he will always be in touch with those who paint a bleak and defeatist vision for the future of our country.”

Former minister Jacob Rees-Mogg halted his interpretation of National Conservatism as the stage was invaded by a protester from Extinction Rebellion who said he wanted to highlight “some of the characteristics of fascism”.

Hours later, two more protesters from the environmental group interrupted the home secretary’s keynote.

“any other person?” asked the grand minister after the second was dismissed, joking that it was “the test day for the shadow government.”

‘any other person?’ asks Suella Braverman as the protesters are removed

The Home Secretary said she rejects the argument that it is hypocritical for her, as someone from an ethnic minority, to push for reduced immigration.

“While illegal immigration is rightfully our priority given the acute challenges we face in the Canal, we must not lose sight of the importance of controlling legal immigration as well,” she said.

“It is not xenophobic to say that mass and rapid migration is unsustainable in terms of housing provision, public services or community relations. Nor is it intolerant to say that we have too many asylum seekers in this country for whom we do not have enough accommodations.

“Assimilating more and more people means building more and more homes is another one of those unfashionable realities that the Open Borders Brigade would say means we’ve started a culture war.

“It is not racist for anyone, ethnic minority or otherwise, to want to control our borders. I reject the left’s argument that it is hypocritical for someone from an ethnic minority, like me, to know these facts or to say these facts.”

She also targeted Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer during her speech.

Ms Braverman said, mocking his recognition of transgender people as women: “Given his definition of a woman we cannot exclude him from standing as the Labor Party’s first female prime minister”.

Her second reference to trans issues was in the speech. She said for the first time to applause from the audience that it was an “unfashionable fact” that “100% of women don’t have a penis”.

She said, “Conservatives should always be honest with the public. They should be honest about our principles and honest about our priorities.”

“In this way we distinguish ourselves from the leader of the left, Sir Keir Starmer. He is so opposed today to the things he stood for yesterday, that tomorrow he will change his mind and campaign next year as a man of great principle.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the most important news? Listen to our latest podcast to find out what you need to know

“Despite his definition of a woman, we cannot rule him out as a candidate to be the first woman Prime Minister in the Labor Party.”

She also said that white people do not exist in a “special state of sin,” referring to the history of slavery.

“I think the left can only sell its vision of the future by making people feel terrible about our past. White people don’t exist in a special state of collective sin or guilt.”

She added: “No one should be blamed for things that happened before she was born.

“The distinguishing feature of this country’s relation to slavery is not that we practiced it, but that we led the way in its abolition.”

[ad_2]