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| Points-based system for immigration could crash economy, PM warns | Points-based system for immigration could crash economy, PM warns |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Adopting an Australian-style immigration system could “crash our economy”, David Cameron has warned, after the three leading Conservative Brexit campaigners said they favoured a points-based migration policy if the UK votes to leave the EU. | Adopting an Australian-style immigration system could “crash our economy”, David Cameron has warned, after the three leading Conservative Brexit campaigners said they favoured a points-based migration policy if the UK votes to leave the EU. |
| George Osborne, the chancellor, has also branded the promise of a points-based system “fantasy politics” that would lead to a rise in net migration. | George Osborne, the chancellor, has also branded the promise of a points-based system “fantasy politics” that would lead to a rise in net migration. |
| Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and Priti Patel, all of whom sit in the main or political cabinet, said in a joint statement on Tuesday they favoured a “genuine Australian-style points-based immigration system ... the automatic right of all EU citizens to come to live and work in the UK will end.” | Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and Priti Patel, all of whom sit in the main or political cabinet, said in a joint statement on Tuesday they favoured a “genuine Australian-style points-based immigration system ... the automatic right of all EU citizens to come to live and work in the UK will end.” |
| Related: Migrants must have good English in post-Brexit UK, says leave campaign | Related: Migrants must have good English in post-Brexit UK, says leave campaign |
| Remain campaigners have said the plan would be economically disastrous and could even lead to higher levels of net migration. “Australia has more migration per head than we do here in the UK, so I think it’s the wrong approach,” the prime minister told BBC Radio 5 Live. | |
| British citizens would also be disadvantaged, he said. “I also think if we were to say to Europeans they needed work permits to come to Britain, European countries would say to us we need work permits to go and work there,” he said. | British citizens would also be disadvantaged, he said. “I also think if we were to say to Europeans they needed work permits to come to Britain, European countries would say to us we need work permits to go and work there,” he said. |
| “So not only would we crash our economy, we’d also reduce opportunities to work in other countries.” | “So not only would we crash our economy, we’d also reduce opportunities to work in other countries.” |
| On a visit to a logistics firm in Harlow, Essex, Osborne contrasted the leave campaign’s proposal with the growth forcast from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which warned of a “substantial” hit to the British and global economy if the UK votes to leave. | On a visit to a logistics firm in Harlow, Essex, Osborne contrasted the leave campaign’s proposal with the growth forcast from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which warned of a “substantial” hit to the British and global economy if the UK votes to leave. |
| “What a contrast today between the leave campaign with their fantasy politics, unworkable proposals that will increase immigration, take us out of the single market and cost us jobs, and the reality check in the real world of the highly respected OECD, which points out the grim economic future for the UK outside the EU,” he said. | “What a contrast today between the leave campaign with their fantasy politics, unworkable proposals that will increase immigration, take us out of the single market and cost us jobs, and the reality check in the real world of the highly respected OECD, which points out the grim economic future for the UK outside the EU,” he said. |
| “It says the threat of leaving the EU is already slowing the British economy and that the hit to people’s living standards will be strongly negative if we do vote to leave.” | “It says the threat of leaving the EU is already slowing the British economy and that the hit to people’s living standards will be strongly negative if we do vote to leave.” |
| There is growing disquiet over the boldness of the proposals from members of the cabinet who favour Brexit. Downing Street sources dismissed Vote Leave’s policies, calling them “completely unworkable” and adding: “Above all, it’s not in their power to implement it.” | There is growing disquiet over the boldness of the proposals from members of the cabinet who favour Brexit. Downing Street sources dismissed Vote Leave’s policies, calling them “completely unworkable” and adding: “Above all, it’s not in their power to implement it.” |
| However, they insisted the government could still pull together after 23 June. “It’s important we come together afterwards. We have a big agenda: life chances, apprenticeships, prison reform.” | However, they insisted the government could still pull together after 23 June. “It’s important we come together afterwards. We have a big agenda: life chances, apprenticeships, prison reform.” |
| Stephen Booth, director of the free-market thinktank Open Europe, which has carried out detailed analysis of the options for Brexit, said any government seeking to negotiate a trade deal with the EU that did not include free movement would have to accept limits on access to EU markets. | Stephen Booth, director of the free-market thinktank Open Europe, which has carried out detailed analysis of the options for Brexit, said any government seeking to negotiate a trade deal with the EU that did not include free movement would have to accept limits on access to EU markets. |
| “It’s a trade off,” he said, pointing out that Norway and Switzerland, non-EU members sometimes pointed to by Vote Leave, accept large numbers of EU citizens. “Perhaps the UK’s case would be different, but Vote Leave need to explain why that’s the case,” he said. | “It’s a trade off,” he said, pointing out that Norway and Switzerland, non-EU members sometimes pointed to by Vote Leave, accept large numbers of EU citizens. “Perhaps the UK’s case would be different, but Vote Leave need to explain why that’s the case,” he said. |
| Andy Burnham, the shadow home secretary, said Gove and Johnson were going “full-on Ukip now” with their immigration proposal. “If we introduced a points-based system with EU, the terms of our trade deal with them would be ruinous,” the Manchester mayoral candidate said. | Andy Burnham, the shadow home secretary, said Gove and Johnson were going “full-on Ukip now” with their immigration proposal. “If we introduced a points-based system with EU, the terms of our trade deal with them would be ruinous,” the Manchester mayoral candidate said. |
| Nigel Farage, the Ukip leader, who is not a member of the official Vote Leave campaign, said the position taken by Johnson, Gove and Patel was vindication for Ukip. “Everything I’ve said on immigration, for which I’ve been condemned, is now mainstream. I now believe we will win this referendum,” he tweeted. | Nigel Farage, the Ukip leader, who is not a member of the official Vote Leave campaign, said the position taken by Johnson, Gove and Patel was vindication for Ukip. “Everything I’ve said on immigration, for which I’ve been condemned, is now mainstream. I now believe we will win this referendum,” he tweeted. |
| Earlier on Tuesday, Gisela Stuart, the Labour co-chair of the Vote Leave campaign, would not confirm if the plan was intended to actually cut migrant numbers, telling BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that it would depend on economic need for workers. | |
| “The single market means automatic massive free movement of labour … [Current] immigration policy doesn’t have the consent of the people,” said Stuart. | “The single market means automatic massive free movement of labour … [Current] immigration policy doesn’t have the consent of the people,” said Stuart. |
| Britain already operates a points system for non-EU migrants, capping skilled migration from outside Europe at 20,700 a year. Since April, skilled workers cannot settle in the UK unless they earn £35,000 a year or more. Leave campaigners are proposing to extend such a system to EU migrants, though the joint statement released on Tuesday said Irish citizens would not be affected. | Britain already operates a points system for non-EU migrants, capping skilled migration from outside Europe at 20,700 a year. Since April, skilled workers cannot settle in the UK unless they earn £35,000 a year or more. Leave campaigners are proposing to extend such a system to EU migrants, though the joint statement released on Tuesday said Irish citizens would not be affected. |
| One of the strongest proponents of immigration control, Migration Watch UK, has previously concluded a points-based system would be ineffectual, and that Australia’s tight border control is unrelated to how they assess skilled migrants. | One of the strongest proponents of immigration control, Migration Watch UK, has previously concluded a points-based system would be ineffectual, and that Australia’s tight border control is unrelated to how they assess skilled migrants. |
| “The Australian context could hardly be more different,” the Migration Watch report found in 2014. “Many Australians believe that they have a strategic need to grow and have the space to do so. In the UK, we face very different geographical and political circumstances.” | “The Australian context could hardly be more different,” the Migration Watch report found in 2014. “Many Australians believe that they have a strategic need to grow and have the space to do so. In the UK, we face very different geographical and political circumstances.” |