Starmer disproves of ‘cheap labour focused’ immigration in UK

Current immigration branded as a ‘sticking plaster’, says Starmer

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer warned of the unsustainable dependency Britain has on overseas skilled workers. He argued that while the immigration scheme was beneficial to the UK, it was unfair on low-skill workers and unveiled his plans to guide the UK economy away from it’s dependence on low-pay models.

‘I don’t want to hold back the skills that we need in this country’, he stated, but we can’t keep putting a ‘plaster’ on a larger problem.

Sunak’s response demands ‘proper control over our borders’

This talk comes after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s address to business leaders calling for ‘proper control of our borders’, and that Brexit had allowed for that action to commence. Mr Sunak has been against illegal migration, and plans to make border control his ‘number one priority.’

This comes at a time when businesses are desperate for more skilled workers to fill their quota, as economic growth falls and a recession is looming in Britain. Business owners have expressed concerns about Starmer’s approach to migrant workers, as they say they need the cheap migrant labour now.

However, Kier Starmer talked through what Britain’s immigration policies would look like under a Labour government, promising a system that recognises the need for skilled workers to fill vacancies, and the demand from business owners, but says that Britain should start focusing on ‘training up workers that are already here’, instead of recruiting cheaper labour overseas.

Redefining the UK’s immigration system

Alongside this, Starmer put forward the idea that a Labour government would understand the need for skilled workers abroad, but looks towards redefining the immigration system to work better for businesses and the foreign workers they seek to employ.

When questioned about his take on what immigration levels should look like, Starmer stated that he was dis-interested in ‘arbitrary numbers’, and more interested in focusing his party’s efforts to get British companies investing more in local British skilled workers.

Despite Starmer’s speech being well received, many were left wondering what Starmer’s direct response would have been to the pressing crisis of short-term labour shortages. The next UK election is set to take place no later than January 2025.