Immigration plan will be a disaster
The UK Government has now announced its plans for a new points-based immigration system, and I believe it will be a disaster for Perth and Kinross.
The new system, which is set to start from the beginning of 2021, will see an end to free movement and will mean that anybody wishing to come and work in the UK will have to score a certain number of points before they will be considered.
Given our particular needs in the social care, tourism and agricultural sectors in Perth and Kinross, I think that we are going to be in for some difficult times ahead.
I am already being contacted by businesses who have no idea how they are going to be able to attract workers after the end of 2020 and what impact this will have on their business.
Last week we saw leaked emails from a senior government advisor which stated that the UK food sector is“not critically important”to the country’s economy.
The same advisor also claimed that agriculture and fisheries“certainly isn’t”.
I have long suspected that the UK Government was planning to sell our farming and fishing industries short after Brexit, but these emails show exactly what Boris Johnson’s government thinks of farmers here in Perth and Kinross.
The idea that domestic food production is not important and that we should make our economy more like that of Singapore is ludicrous.
At a time where global warming and food scarcity is becoming a much bigger issue, we should not be turning support off for our vibrant food and drink sector, we should be increasing it.
In terms of the new immigration system, it is clear that the UK Government is going to have to make compromises and sector specific exemptions if they are serious about ensuring businesses can continue trading.
We already see farms in Perthshire either scaling down planting or changing what they are putting in the ground because of concerns about attracting the workforce to pick it.
These plans only make the likelihood of farms going out of business more probable.
I have already visited a number of businesses in my constituency who have raised concerns with me about these plans and I have made representations on their behalf to the home secretary, but given the allegations about the workplace culture that currently exists at the Home Office, it remains to be seen if she will even remain in post long enough to see these changes into UK law.
The prime minster has a remarkable lack of support for his new immigration system and it is about time that he started listening.
It is no wonder that many business owners are coming to the view that decisions about immigration would be better made here in Scotland and not by the Home Office.