Theresa May has dismissed the suggestion that foreign students should not be counted as immigrants, after the chancellor, Philip Hammond, suggested that such a move could be in line with public opinion.
Downing Street said it was not looking at whether to remove foreign students from official migration figures, despite earlier appearing to say this would be part of an overall review of the system.
It comes after reports of distance between No 10 and No 11 on a number of issues, from the approach to Brexit to May’s comments about monetary policy in the most recent Queen’s speech.
On Wednesday, Hammond told the Treasury select committee there were “conversations within government about the most appropriate way to record and address net migration”.
“As we approach the challenge of getting net migration figures down, it is in my view essential that we look at how we do this in a way that protects the vital interests of our economy,” he said.
“It is true that student visas have been abused in the past. The previous home secretary did sterling work tightening up on bogus educational institutions.”
When asked if students should be counted among immigrant numbers, he said: “My view is, this is a question of public perception and the public’s view. Clearly, immigration and the level of net migration is an issue of concern.
“The question we should be asking is, ‘What does the public understand should be included within that definition?’. It’s not whether politicians think one thing or another, it’s whether the public believe it.”
Andrew Tyrie, the chair of the committee, highlighted research showing that one-fifth of people thought students counted as immigrants and 59% were opposed to efforts to reduce their numbers, prompting Hammond to respond: “I think that’s very interesting information.”
However, a No 10 spokesman said on Thursday: “The government objective is to reduce annual net migration to the tens of thousands, and in order to deliver this we are keeping all visa routes under review.
“Our position on who is included in the figures has not changed and we are categorically not reviewing whether or not students are included.”
Asked whether May had changed her mind, her deputy official spokesman said: “The issue of migration, migrant numbers, who enters the country and under what terms, is very much subject for review as we go through the process of exiting the European Union.”
The prime minister has long stuck to the position that foreign students should be included in the figures showing overall net migration numbers, fighting off an attempt to take them out under the previous Conservative government.
