We need to talk about immigration

HOME Secretary Sajid Javid’s crisis management skills will be tested to the limit in his new role as he battles to restore public confidence in the UK Government in the wake of the Windrush scandal.

He pledged to “do right by the Windrush generation” and stressed that he did not suffer from an empathy deficit.

The self-described “second-generation migrant”, said: “I thought that it could be my mum, my brother, my uncle or even me.”

Defusing this scandal will involve more than paying compensation to people who have been traumatised by the actions of government officials and establishing their right to remain in the UK.

Theresa May should give him the authority and the clout to tackle the culture and the priorities at the Home Office that led to this fiasco.

The Conservatives pledged in their 2017 manifesto to bring “net migration down to the tens of thousands”. It is hard to conceive how such a change on this scale can be achieved without a radical increase in the number of people leaving the country or major obstacles being put in the way of people who want to work in the UK.

The Windrush scandal has illustrated what happens when vulnerable people are hounded by the government machine. It is vital that other law-abiding people who have contributed to our communities and are entitled to live in the UK do not suffer similar harassment.

This fiasco also calls into question the Government’s capacity to cope with the changes that Brexit will bring. It will have to establish the right to remain of EU nationals while putting in place an immigration system that will ensure the NHS can still recruit the specialists it needs to survive; it is also important that the finance, technology and manufacturing companies we hope will stay in the UK after Brexit will not be stopped from flying in experts when they are needed.

Above all, it is essential that the UK’s immigration policies are shaped by the best values and clear reason rather than ugly populism that politicians pander to at their peril.

Mr Javid can take pride in being the first member of an ethnic minority group to become Home Secretary but to establish a solid legacy he must do more than secure justice for those caught up in the present scandal. He must bring order to the Home Office and candour, compassion and rationality to how this country talks about immigration.