Theresa May has been accused of “taking people for fools” after she announced that the Conservatives would make a fresh commitment to a net migration target missed by the government during this parliament.
As Ukip mocked the home secretary by saying it was “most grateful” to her for recommitting to David Cameron’s “no ifs no buts” pledge, the shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, accused May of trying to repeat an old trick.
May came under fire after she suggested that the Conservative manifesto for the general election would include a new version of the prime minister’s pledge, issued in 2011, to reduce net migration to the tens of thousands.
The government had to admit last week that it will fail to meet the pledge by the time of the election after official figures showed that net migration to Britain stood at 298,000 last year. The Office for National Statistics, which issued the quarterly migration figures, said the rise was down to increases in immigration from outside the EU (49,000) and from within the EU (43,000). The Migration Observatory, based at Oxford University, said it could be explained by Britain’s relatively strong economic growth.
May indicated in an interview with the Times that the target would appear in the Tory manifesto for the general election, saying: “It has been missed, but I think it was absolutely right and the ambition is obviously the right one to have … I think we will keep the target. It is important because it is about not just dealing with those coming into the system but also about making sure that those people who shouldn’t live here actually leave.”
The home secretary added: “You will have to wait for the manifesto to see the exact words. The idea of the net migration target will still be there. It will be measured [in the same way].”
Patrick O’Flynn, Ukip’s economics spokesman, tweeted: “Thanks so much Theresa May for keeping the migration promise so you can break it again if re-elected. We are all most grateful.”
Thanks so much Theresa May for keeping the migration promise so you can break it again if re-elected. We are all most grateful.
— Patrick O'Flynn (@oflynnmep) March 3, 2015
Ukip has said the Tories will never meet the target as long as Britain remains a member of the EU because EU citizens have the right to free movement within the union.
Cooper said: “Who is Theresa May kidding? Even her own colleagues are saying her net migration target is in tatters. No one will believe a word she or the prime minister says on this after they promised ‘no ifs no buts’ to meet their chosen target last time, yet instead, net migration is three times the level they promised.
“Theresa May is taking people for fools by trying the same trick again. This massive gap between Tory rhetoric and reality just undermines trust in the immigration system.”
May’s remarks caused added surprise because they came 24 hours after two of her former cabinet colleagues said the Tories should drop the target.
Kenneth Clarke said it had been a mistake to try to bring net migration down to the levels seen when he served as home secretary in 1992-93. “We weren’t in a globalised economy then to the extent that we are now,” he told the Times. Baroness Warsi, the former Tory co-chair, said: “If you set yourself unrealistic targets you are setting yourself up to fail.”
In her Times interview, May indicated that a future Tory government would seek to introduce some contentious immigration reforms blocked within the coalition. These include the proposals to force visitors from countries deemed to be “high-risk” to pay a bond before entering Britain, and to require people to leave the UK while their immigration appeal is being heard.
May challenged the idea that immigration can be good for the economy by providing young workers who help to pay for public services through their taxes in a country with an ageing population. “Uncontrolled immigration makes it more difficult to maintain social cohesion, it has an impact on public services, it can also drive down wages at the lower end of the income scale, so it does make a difference. That’s why it’s important that this is not just an issue that is talked about, but we make an impact. People need to know that a future Conservative government would continue to bear down on the system so that we control the numbers.”
She said the Tories had ensured immigration was lower than it would have been under Labour. “We haven’t met the target, but we have made a difference. If Labour’s policies had still been in place we would be looking at net migration getting on for 400,000.”
