Brexit camp takes opinion poll lead
London: The camp favouring Britain’s exit from the EU appears to have secured a slight edge as a new opinion poll Sunday showed a three- point lead for Brexit, suggesting the remain camp has lost some momentum in the past two weeks.
Mixing spices in a searing hot pan, cooking naan in the tandoor and juggling takeaway orders, restaurant owner Saiful Alam is shortstaffed and stressed — a situation he hopes Brexit will improve.
Like many of those running Britain’s 12,000 curry houses, the Bangladeshi chef is struggling to find suitable staff as new immigration rules have made it harder to hire people from Bangladesh and India.
The issue has taken on political heat ahead of the June 23 referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union, after the Vote Leave campaign claimed that the problem was the fault of uncontrolled EU migration pushing up numbers of arrivals.
It said that a so- called Brexit would herald a “fairer” immigration system that treats EU and non- EU workers, particularly from former colonies in the Commonwealth with family ties to Britain, equally.
The argument resonates with Alam as he puts together dishes on his own in the kitchen of the Prince of Bengal, a modest restaurant in Watford, north of London, after his new Romanian cook failed to turn up for work.
Alam has some British staff and eastern European employees, but complains about “the language barrier and the experience — they’re not familiar with the food, the cooking, the spices”.
The Bangladesh Caterers’ Association, an industry body, claims four to five curry houses a week are closing in Britain because of a shortage of staff.
Priti Patel, a government minister, launched a “Save Our Curry Houses” campaign in May, blaming EU migration for the industry crisis.
With up to one million Commonwealth residents of Britain eligible to vote in the referendum, other “Leave” campaigners have also emphasised the potential to improve ties with those countries outside the EU. “I want stronger relationships with the Commonwealth in terms of trade and I want an immigration system that doesn’t discriminate against them in favour of people from southern and eastern Europe,” UKIP leader Nigel Farage said.