Suella Braverman has launched another stinging attack on Rishi Sunak – claiming the prime minister is to blame for the government’s “slap in the face” failure to stop immigration hitting record highs.
In a fresh bout of infighting, the recently-sacked home secretary joined right-wing Tories condemning the “embarrassing” net migration figures and called on the PM to take urgent steps to bring numbers down.
Ms Braverman said she had “pushed” a five-point plan to bring down the number of people coming into the country – suggested the PM had refused to act to fulfil Tory promises.
“We were elected on a pledge to reduce net migration,” she tweeted on X. “Today’s record numbers are a slap in the face to the British public who have voted to control and reduce migration at every opportunity.”
In typically fiery rhetoric, Ms Braverman said the government had allowed “an extra million people in just two years” – calling the numbers “unsustainable” before asking the PM: “When do we say: enough is enough?”
Ms Braverman said she had pushed a five-point plan while she was home secretary – including an overall annual cap on net migration, as well as a new cap on the number of visas granted to foreign health and social care staff.
She also suggested raising the minimum salary threshold for overseas workers to £45,000 outside of NHS jobs, shutting the graduate visa route, and a new limit on the number of dependents that foreign staff can bring with them.
Official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed net migration in 2022 hit 745,000 – a huge upward revision from an earlier estimate of 606,000.
ONS stats also revealed that in the year to June, overall net migration rose to 672,000 on last year’s record for the period. The figures mean the population of England and Wales is growing at the fastest rate since 1962.
Former business secretary Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg said he was “embarrassed” about the “absolutely extraordinary” figures. “This is a phenomenally high level with economic consequences,” he added, arguing that excess immigration was to blame shrinking GDP per capita.
Asked if he supported Ms Braverman’s planned cap on annual numbers, Sir Jacob told BBC Radio 4’s World at One: “I am in favour of getting this number down very significantly. A cap is one way of doing it.”
In an extraordinary admission, the former Brexit opportunities secretary also said there had been a serious political failure in controlling Britain’s borders post-Brexit.
Ms Braverman also claimed that Brexit “gave us the tools” to cut immigration, but the government had failed to act. “It’s time to use them. We must act now to reduce migration to sustainable levels,” she said.
The New Conservatives group of around 35 right-wing Tory MPs aligned with Ms Braverman’s views said the latest figures were “existential” for the party and demanded urgent action from Mr Sunak.
The group run by Danny Kruger and Miriam Cates called for a “comprehensive package” of measures today to bring migration below 229,000 mark – the figure at the 2019 election.
In an ominous warning, they said they would “assess” any measures brought forward by Mr Sunak, adding that the PM “must act now … The word ‘existential’ has been used a lot in recent days but this really is ‘do or die’ for our party.”
Mr Sunak is planning a series of new immigration crackdown measures, as he prepares to head off a Tory backbench revolt.
The government is said to be preparing to cut the number of relatives foreign health and social care workers are allowed to bring in to only one, ditching the shortage occupation list, and raising the minimum salary requirement from £26,200 to about £31,000.
But it may not be enough to dampen anger. Senior Conservative MP David Jones said the figures were “very troubling”, calling for Mr Sunak to consider Ms Braverman’s idea of an overall annual cap on migration numbers.
The deputy chief of the Tories’ European Research Group (ERG) told The Independent that the government should also stop all students bringing family member “and make sure they return after their studies”.
Tory MP Sir Simon Clarke said the level was “unsustainable”, adding that there is “no public mandate” for it. Fellow ex-minister Neil O’Brien said that Mr Sunak must now take “immediate and massive action”.
Tory MP Jonathan Gullis said the figures were “completely unacceptable” and will “rightly anger” the British people, as he too called for drastic action to bring down legal migration.
Asked whether the government would cut the number of visas, Mr Sunak’s spokesman said “it is important that we strike the right balance” to help deal with “short-term pressures”.
But the No 10 official added: “We do believe there is further to go here and that’s why we’re keeping it under review,” saying officials were “looking at other areas where we can make further reductions”.
The ONS said it is too early to tell if this is the start of a new downward trend but that the most recent estimates indicate a slowing of immigration coupled with increasing emigration.
Professor Brian Bell, the chairman of the independent Migration Advisory Committee, said net migration to the UK is likely to fall in the next few years.
“I wouldn’t want to bet my house on it, but I think the indications are that we’ve reached the peak,” he told the World at One – adding that he thought the government should raise the salary thresholds related to the skilled worker route to account for inflation.
More follows…