Give Scotland immigration powers, urges top Labour MP
SWEEPING immigration powers should be handed to Scotland after Brexit, a powerful Labour MP has admitted.
Yvette Cooper told Nationalist MPs that she would support a distinct Scottish approach, which would inevitably lead to higher levels of immigration north of the Border.
She promised to investigate Scots immigration needs as chairman of the influential Home Affairs Select Committee at Westminster.
The stunning U-turn for Labour comes only two years after the party warned about hard borders and checkpoints in the independence campaign.
But Scottish Labour sources did not try to distance themselves from Ms Cooper’s comments yesterday.
It is understood they were made to Nationalist MPs at a hustings, during her successful bid to chair the Home Affairs Select Committee, after MP Keith Vaz had stood down in disgrace.
Asked if she was ‘amenable to distinct immigration rules for Scotland’, she replied, ‘Yes’.
A spokesman for Ms Cooper said: ‘Yvette has said we need a national debate on what the new immigration rules should be, listening to views from all over the country.
‘The Home Affairs Select Committee has not looked at this yet but it will be doing so in the New Year.’
The UK is heading for the EU exit door, ending freedom of movement with other member states, with the Leave vote in England driven by widespread unhappiness on immigration.
A majority of Scots voters backed Remain and the Government at Holyrood believes the Scottish economy needs higher levels of immigration to boost the workforce. But that would again raise the prospect of a hard border to stop foreign workers entering England by the back door.
However, Labour’s opponents said the comments were further evidence that the party has gone soft on the Union, and a betrayal of the two million who voted No to independence in 2014.
A spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives said: ‘This is more evidence of the chaos at the heart of the Labour Party when it comes to independence. Instead of sucking up to SNP MPs in Westminster, Labour should be sticking up for the two million Scots who voted No.’
An SNP spokesman said: ‘Yvette Cooper confirmed in response to a straight yes or no question that she would be amenable to distinct immigration rules for Scotland.
‘The SNP has long argued the need for Scotland to have its own immigration system – hopefully Scottish Labour will join their colleagues in being supportive of this.’
A Scottish Labour source said: ‘Scottish Labour will fight to maintain our relationship with our European neighbours and to keep Scotland in the UK, because that is what is best for our economy.’