No10 slaps down Fox as he hints migrant target will be ditched
DOWNING Street slapped down Liam Fox last night after he suggested ministers could ditch their pledge to reduce net migration to the ‘tens of thousands’.
The International Trade Secretary said Theresa May’s ambition of cutting the figure to below 100,000 remained in place ‘at the moment’. But he indicated the Government would be ‘reviewing’ the target after we leave the European Union.
No 10 hit back, saying the commitment – which was in last year’s election manifesto – would be met.
Mrs May has repeatedly refused to ditch the 100,000 target despite the pleas of business and many of her own backbenchers.
The Tories pledged in their 2017 manifesto to keep it and to introduce a system of ‘controlled, sustainable migration, with net migration down to the tens of thousands’.
But, despite this, net migration remains at more than 280,000.
Asked on LBC Radio if the target was the correct approach, Dr Fox said: ‘Well, that is the Government’s target at the moment.
‘We will be reviewing what we do post- Brexit. Naturally as a member of the Cabinet I support the Government’s policy but I think that we do need to look in the future at how we match our employment opportunities with our migration policy.
‘I think the big problem with free movement from Europe was that people were able to come to the United Kingdom without having a job and they were able to use our public services like schools and hospitals and housing without ever having contributed and I don’t think the British public thought that was fair and neither do I.’
A Downing Street source said: ‘We remain committed to bringing net migration down to sustainable levels: the tens of thousands.
‘There is no consent in Britain for uncontrolled immigration. We are developing an immigration system that will continue to attract and retain people who come here to work and bring significant benefits, but will not offer an open door to those who don’t.’
Dr Fox said the result of the EU referendum had made clear the public ‘do not want unlimited movement into the United Kingdom’.
Former Chancellor George Osborne said last year that no senior Cabinet ministers supported Mrs May’s target. And in June, Home Secretary Sajid Javid repeatedly refused to endorse the target.
EU freedom of movement rules mean it is almost impossible for the Government to hit its target while the UK remains a member of the bloc. But the fact that non-EU migration is so high means the target will be difficult to meet even after Brexit.
A spokesman for the Social Market Foundation think-tank said: ‘The tens of thousands target is a crude political gimmick that distorts immigration policy and warps political debate. Voters deserve more honesty about immigration and its importance so it’s good to see that even ministers now acknowledge the target has had its day.’
In a speech yesterday Dr Fox bemoaned Britain’s focus on Brexit and urged for the country to look at the wider global picture as he talked about becoming a ‘21st century exporting superpower’.