Labour’s Yvette Cooper vows to cut immigration figures – but refuses to say by how much and when, sparking mockery from Tories
Work has promised to cut immigration “significantly” – but declined to say by how much or when.
Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Kuiper said the party expected to see a “rapid” drop in arrivals.
But she declined to set specific targets, arguing that there should be flexibility for events such as the war Ukraine.
Mrs. Cooper told the BBCon Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: ‘We don’t set a goal and the reason for that is partly because, honestly, every time the Conservatives If they did this, they ended up getting everywhere, tearing it apart and bringing the whole system into disrepute.
‘There are also variations from year to year. So, for example, the pandemic has obviously caused net migration rates to fall, but the Homes For Ukraine visa rightly caused the numbers to rise due to the war.”
Labor has pledged to cut immigration “significantly” but declined to say by how much and when. Pictured: Yvette Cooper
Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the party expected arrivals to fall “rapidly”.
Forced to commit to a target, she said: ‘We clearly want to see significant change because we have seen the numbers triple.’
Net migration to Britain reached 685,000 in 2023 – the second highest on record. In 2022 there were 745,000.
Yesterday Sir Keir Starmer said reducing net migration would be a Labor manifesto commitment. On Sunday he told The Sun: ‘Read my lips, I will bring down immigration figures.’
However, their stance drew ridicule from the Conservatives, who said Labor would turn Britain into a “magnet” for illegal migrants.
Home Secretary James Cleverly said: ‘This is another day when Starmer will say what he thinks people want to hear at an election because he is not convinced to say what he believes.
‘A Labor government would allow immigration with open doors, making Britain a magnet for illegal migrants.’
Former immigration secretary Robert Jenrick tweeted: “Him [Sir Keir] doesn’t want to reduce immigration or stop the boats. Never did. Never will.’
Yesterday Sir Keir pledged to reduce migration by banning law-breaking bosses from hiring foreign workers and improving training for British workers.
Their stance drew ridicule from the Conservatives, who said Labor would turn Britain into a ‘magnet’ for illegal migrants
The Conservatives have repeatedly promised to reduce net migration to tens of thousands – a target that has not been met.
As part of its pledge, the party has said it will send Channel Boat migrants to Rwanda – a move Labor says it will scrap.
However, Ms Cooper refused to rule out offshore processing of asylum seekers.
Yesterday Sir Keir pledged to reduce migration by banning law-breaking bosses from hiring foreign workers and improving training for British workers.
He said last year’s figures had to come down, adding that a Labor government would ‘control our borders and ensure British companies hire British people first’.
Today Sir Keir will make a renewed pitch to Tory voters, saying Labor is the ‘party of national security’. The Labor leader is expected to meet veterans of the armed forces as he campaigns in the North West.
