I'm on the very top floor of City Hall attending a seminar on the economic impact of immigration on London, with special reference to the case for designing an "earned amnesty" system for the irregular among them. You might have read about the report on the issue, commissioned by the Mayor. The LSE academics who compiled it are among the speakers here.
I've got two things to add at this stage. One is that the issue is even more complicated that I'd realised. Many different categories of people are defined as "irregular", from those who entered the country illegally, to students who ended up staying a bit longer than they'd intended. The science of making population and economic projections is often very far from precise. The arguments are complex, making the debate all the more vulnerable to the emotionalism that bedevils it already.
The other thing is gossip. Many were surprised when Boris gave his qualified support to the idea of earned amnesties during the election campaign, and I wasn't alone in suspecting this was in part due to the pressure exerted on him by London Citizens at that famous "accountability assembly" held in the Central Methodist Hall last spring. When he announced that he'd commissioned the LSE study, I still suspected a degree of political positioning on Boris's part.
Yet a liberal approach to immigration is consistent with his liberal economic views. And conversations I've had this morning with compaigners and political opponents alike confirm that he's committed to continuing to promote the amnesty idea. Yes, that's easier in some ways because he doesn't have the powers to put such a system into effect. Yes, there's a political advantage to be gained. But the more I hear, the more convinced I am that Boris genuinely favours the idea.
The panel is summing up now. More detail another time.
