May defiant over foreign students

THERESA May will count foreign students towards her target of cutting net immigration to below 100,000 even if they are dropped from official statistics.

Whitehall sources said the Prime Minister considers it a matter of trust that the Conservatives’ long-standing pledge to reduce net immigration to the ‘tens of thousands’ should continue to include students – some of whom stay for years after graduating.

The stance puts her at odds with a string of Cabinet ministers who argue that the time has come to soften the Government’s position.

The Daily Mail revealed this week that Home Secretary Amber Rudd has warned Mrs May it is ‘inevitable’ that the Government will lose a Commons vote on the issue this year unless it backs down.

Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson, who has lobbied the Prime Minister to change course, seized on the revelation yesterday, saying: ‘Including students in the figure is distortive, counterproductive and sends out entirely the wrong signals. I hope this change happens soon.’ Chancellor Philip Hammond, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Business Secretary Greg Clark are also privately urging Mrs May to give way. Ministers were braced for defeat on the issue last year after an amendment to the Higher Education Bill was passed by the Lords.

The bid was killed off by the snap election. But, with Mrs May having lost her Commons majority, ministers fear there is no prospect of avoiding defeat if a similar amendment is tabled to the Immigration Bill expected this year.

Mrs May’s spokesman said: ‘The position of the Prime Minister on this is clear. The international definition of an immigrant is someone who arrives for more than 12 months.’ She has previously argued against a move that would be seen by voters as fiddling the figures.

A Whitehall source added: ‘ It would not be in keeping with the spirit of the manifesto to keep the target but take students out of it.’