Daily Record

Oh,good grief .. sh e ’ s s ti l l here

- TORCUIL CRICHTON

BRAZEN PM Theresa May returned from the Commons summer recess yesterday to face a Brexit barracking from an SNP MP over immigratio­n.

May, who has vowed to stay as Tory leader despite plots to oust her by her party, was told she should “cherish” immigrants by Ross, Skye and Lochaber MP Ian Blackford.

The Nationalis­ts’ Westminste­r leader headed the backlash against leaked Tory plans to close down Brexit Britain to EU migrants.

Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions, Blackford said: “We need to cherish those who are here and not chase them away.

“The Prime Minister must stop dancing to the tune of her right-wing backbenche­rs and apologise for the disgracefu­l treatment her Government has shown migrants in the UK.”

Blackford hit out at a Home Office error which saw 100 EU nationals receiving deportatio­n notices over the summer.

He argued that immigratio­n was “essential to the strength of the UK economy as well as enhancing our diversity and cultural fabric”.

The move came after a leaked Home Office paper set out a “more selective approach” to immigratio­n, with a greater emphasis on jobs for British workers.

May was unapologet­ic when she responded to the SNP MP.

She said: “There is a reason for wanting to ensure that we can control migration, it is because of the impact that migration can have, that net migration can have on people, on access to services, on infrastruc­ture.

“Crucially, it often hits those at the lower end of the income scale hardest and I suggest that he thinks about that impact rather than just standing up here and saying what he has done.

“It’s important that we bring in controls. We want to continue to welcome the brightest and the best here to the UK and we will continue to do so.”

 ??  ?? CLASH May and Blackford. Main pic: Jonathan Brady/PA
CLASH May and Blackford. Main pic: Jonathan Brady/PA

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