The IPPR, a left-leaning thinktank, says today’s immigration figures suggest the government does not need to press ahead with plans to toughen the rules governing legal migration.
In a statement, Marley Morris, the IPPR’s associate director for migration, trade and communities, said:
Today’s figures show that migration has fallen sharply, while the asylum system is beginning to function more effectively after a period of strain. The government has made notable progress since the start of the year in closing asylum hotels.
This should prompt a more measured debate. An excessively tough approach now runs the risk of making policy for the pressures of three years ago, rather than the reality of today.
Public concern about migration has been driven by a sense that the system was not under control. The figures suggest that is changing, but there is still work to do.
The focus now should be on the parts of the system that still need fixing: tackling small boat crossings, closing remaining asylum hotels, and speeding up appeals. The priority should be to build a fair, well-managed immigration system that supports the economy and public services, not a race to push numbers ever lower.
Morris was referring to the government’s plans to significantly increase the amount of time migrants have to wait until they can get indefinite leave to remain in the UK.
