Rishi Sunak refuses to commit to reducing net immigration to the level set out in the 2019 Conservative Party Manifesto | Politics news

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As the prime minister travels to Japan for the G7 summit, insiders say his focus on tackling illegal small boat crossings rather than setting a specific goal to reduce legal immigration reflects his pragmatism — but his comments could exacerbate growing divisions in his government.

By BethRigby, Political Editor

Wednesday 17 May 2023, 22:00, United Kingdom

Rishi Sunak has refused to stick to Boris Johnson’s election pledge to reduce annual net immigration numbers to below a quarter of a million by the next election, arguing that tackling illegal immigration is “undoubtedly the country’s priority”.

The 2019 Conservative Manifesto pledged to make sure the “overall numbers come down”. At that time, net immigration was 226,000, which gave an effective target to be achieved during this parliament.

Speaking to reporters on the way to the G7 summit in Japan, the prime minister acknowledged he had “inherited some numbers”, but refused three times to explicitly recommit to reducing legal immigration to the UK to that level.

Mr Sunak told reporters: “I said I really want to reduce legal immigration. I think illegal immigration is undoubtedly the country’s priority, and you can see all the work I’m doing. But in terms of legal immigration as well, we are committed to bringing those numbers down.”

Image: Rishi Sunak speaks to reporters on a plane to Japan for the G7 summit

Referring to meetings he had in Iceland earlier this week, the prime minister said talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had led to a “major step forward” in his attempt to tackle small boat crossings in the Channel.

Mr Sunak said: “This has practical value for us in stopping illegal immigration – intelligence sharing, operational cooperation will make a difference to our ability to stop the boats, and tackle organized crime upstream. This is a very tangible result of the engagement and diplomacy that we have conducted.”

Explaining his reluctance to set a hard target on levels of legal immigration, the prime minister said: “The key thing is for people to know [when it comes to legal migration] It is why people are here, the circumstances and the conditions in which they are here, making sure that they contribute, to public services like the NHS for example. These are all now part of our immigration system and were not before.”

Image: Rishi Sunak and Ursula von der Leyen met recently in Iceland

Insiders say Sunak’s focus on tackling illegal small boat crossings rather than setting a specific goal to reduce legal immigration reflects his pragmatism.

“His motto is keep promises and don’t promise what you can’t keep,” a government source said.

Read more: What Sunak needs to do at the G7 to bring the public home Japan vows to tighten security for the G7 after a smoke bomb explodes.

But the prime minister’s comments are likely to inflame further tensions in the cabinet, as divisions emerge between those who want to make lowering aggregate figures a priority and others who argue such measures could curb economic growth.

Net migration hit a record high of 504,000 last year, and official figures to be released later this month are expected to show net migration increasing between 650,000 and 997,000 in 2022.

Addressing the Conservative Party’s national conference this week, the Home Secretary, Sowella Braverman, said the government should bring the numbers down before the next election to end Britain’s dependence on foreign workers and ease pressure on public services.

The Prime Minister addresses immigration in Europe

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However, chancellor Jeremy Hunt suggested to business leaders that immigration controls would be relaxed to fill gaps in the labor market.

Hunt told the British Chambers of Commerce he was open to adding more jobs to the list of job shortages, and told business leaders the government would be “sensible and pragmatic”.

There are currently one million vacancies in the British economy, with around seven million working-age adults out of work.

The government introduced a series of schemes and incentives to try to get economically inactive adults back into the workplace in the last budget, ranging from more childcare support for new parents and pension tax breaks for the over-50s.

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