Amber Rudd vows UK's doors will stay open after Brexit

Amber Rudd vows UK's doors will stay open after Brexit



The Immigration Minister today said Britain would leave the EU free movement rules in 2019 but refused to say whether it would actually cut the number of new arrivals.

Brandon Lewis said the Government remained committed to cutting net migration to the tens of thousands but would not place a timescale on the decade-old target.

Mr Lewis' position appears to differ from an apparent Cabinet agreement last week that backed a transition deal that kept Britain in the single market until 2022 - meaning free movement would continue for three years after Brexit takes place.

The confusion came as Home Secretary Amber Rudd launched a new census on the role of EU migrants already in Britain and working in the economy and insisted Britain must remain an 'international hub' for talent.

Ms Rudd today said Britain would remain open to skilled EU citizens after Brexit amid fears the referendum vote will do little to cut immigration.

Her intervention is her most striking on immigration since she was appointed as Home Secretary more than a year ago and signals a softening of the Government position on immigration after Brexit.



In an article for the Financial Times today, Ms Rudd said: 'Put simply, the UK must remain a hub for international talent.

'We must keep attracting the brightest and best migrants from around the world.

'And we must implement a new immigration system after we leave the EU that gives us control and works in all of our interests.'

Ms Rudd today announced a 'census' of EU migrants already working in Britain to assess their role in the economy.

The Government has not yet unveiled any detail of its immigration plans for the post-Brexit period.



Mr Lewis insisted today new laws would be in place by the time Britain leaves the EU in March 2019 and said free movement would end at that point.

But asked repeatedly when the Government would meet its flagship target of cutting net migration to the tens of thousands, Mr Lewis refused to answer.

He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: 'Our determination to see net migration fall to sustainable levels - and we think that is the tens of thousands - is something we have had and continue to have as our long term aim.

'The reason it is not outlined specifically in this commission is its job is to look at the impact of EU migration on our economy, what our economy needs going forward post-Brexit to inform the decisions we make as free movement ends when we leave the EU.'

Pressed on whether the commitment would be met by 2022, Mr Lewis said: 'We have to leave the EU, put our new migration process in place which we will do with the Immigration Bill next year. There will be an implementation period for business.

'I am not setting a particular arbitrary year on that.'



Ms Rudd later rejected any suggestion of a 'contradiction' between Mr Lewis's comments and her own desire to avoid a hard Brexit.

Speaking during a visit to a Border Force patrol ship in Troon Harbour, on the west coast of Scotland, Ms Rudd said: 'When we leave the EU, which will be in March 2019, the current freedom of movement will obviously end so what we'll need is a new system and we've said that that new system will have a proposal whereby new EU workers coming here will need to register.

'We will need that grace period for a while before the full changes come in, which is what we're consulting on with the MAC.

'The MAC have been asked to give us the real evidence about the value of EU migration to the UK because we know it has been hugely valuable and we want to make sure that the changes we put in place are evidence-based.'



As part of Ms Rudd's new inquiry, advisers will also examine issues such as the costs and benefits of EU migration – including the potential impact of any fall in arrivals from the 27 other nations, such as on hospitals and care homes.

They will also look at whether the availability of cheap, unskilled labour has led to low UK investment in certain sectors such as agriculture and food processing.

Writing to MAC chairman Professor Alan Manning, Ms Rudd will say that under a future system 'we will be able to apply different immigration rules and requirements according to the UK's economic and social needs'.

Lord Green of Deddington, chairman of the Migration Watch think-tank, which campaigns for lower migration, said: 'This is a very welcome step. It is high time that we had an objective evaluation of the true costs and benefits of EU migration.

'It is especially important to take account of the massive impact of immigration on the size of our population and the resultant overcrowding which is of concern to a growing number of people.'

Ex-UKIP leader Nigel Farage yesterday accused the Government of presiding over a 'great Brexit betrayal' by refusing to slash immigration immediately after Brexit.