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May retains target to cut net migration to tens of thousands May says immigration target 'getting more difficult'
(about 3 hours later)
The home secretary insists she still has the target of reducing net migration to the tens of thousands. Theresa May says she still has the target of cutting net migration to the UK to below 100,000, but admitted it had become "more difficult".
That is despite the latest annual figures showing 212,000 more people moved to live in the UK than left. The home secretary refused to admit the target would not be met by the 2015 election, even though the latest figures showed 212,000 more people moved to live in the UK than left.
Theresa May said excluding the EU, the figure was back down to 1990s levels. She admitted "heated" coalition discussions over immigration measures.
There had been "heated discussions" with Lib Dems over policy, but she said there were plans for new measures: "We recognise we need to do something about European migration." And she outlined plans to act to cut down on immigration from within the EU.
Mrs May told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show that tightening up on benefits was one of the government's plans. 'Heated discussions'
'Tightening benefits' Mrs May said the coalition had "yet to get agreement" on the measures that should be introduced to reform the current system.
"We are seeing an impact on what we are doing where we can control migration from outside the European Union. As I say, net migration from outside the EU is now down to its lowest level since the late 1990s. "It's no surprise to anybody that there has been some long-standing, possibly heated at times, discussions among the coalition on issues of immigration," Mrs May told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show.
"For migration inside the EU, we are doing what we can to affect that as well. So we are tightening up on benefits." She said excluding immigration from the EU, the migration figures were back down to 1990s levels, but the government recognised it needed to do something about European migration.
Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that the government's aim of reducing migration to the tens of thousands by 2015 is a way off. Tightening up on benefits was one of the government's plans, she said.
Mrs May confirmed a report in the Sunday Telegraph that consideration was being given to deporting people who came to the UK to work but could not find a job after six months.
'It's a target''It's a target'
Pressed on whether the government would make a "pledge" or a "promise" to reach its target, Mrs May responded by saying: "I've still got that target, it's always been a target." This might be linked to changes to the length of time people coming from within the EU had to spend in the UK before being able to claim benefits.
The home secretary said the Tories had "yet to get agreement" with their coalition partners, the Lib Dems, on some measures to tackle immigration. "We said they can't just come here and claim benefits straight away, they have to wait three months to do that," Mrs May said.
One of those points, she said, was the length of time people coming into the UK from within the EU had to spend before being able to claim benefits.
"We said they can't just come here and claim benefits straight away, they have to wait three months to do that," she said.
"They have six months' ability to claim benefits. We will look at that timing. We will look to see whether it's right to make that six months overall. We haven't yet got agreement across the coalition to do that. But these are the sorts of measures we keep looking at.""They have six months' ability to claim benefits. We will look at that timing. We will look to see whether it's right to make that six months overall. We haven't yet got agreement across the coalition to do that. But these are the sorts of measures we keep looking at."
The Conservatives went into the 2010 General Election pledging to "take steps to take net migration back to the levels of the 1990s - tens of thousands a year, not hundreds of thousands".
But the Lib Dems stopped that pledge being included in the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition's "programme for government" after the election, instead pledging to ensure immigration "is controlled so people have confidence in the system".
Although net migration fell early on in the coalition government, figures from the Office for National Statistics show that net migration bounced back to 212,000 in the year to December, from 177,000 the previous year.
"We still have that aim of the tens of thousands. But of course it has become more difficult and net migration is too high," she said.
"That's why I want to continue working to bring it down. In those areas we can control - that is, immigration from outside the European Union - everything we have done as a government has been having an impact."
She said that net migration from outside the EU was now back at levels last seen in the 1990s.
Pressed on whether the government would make a "pledge" or a "promise" to reach its target, Mrs May responded by saying: "I've still got that target, it's always been a target."
Davis criticismDavis criticism
Mrs May added it would be no surprise to anybody that there had been some "long-standing, possibly heated" discussions at times among the coalition on the the issue of immigration. Communities Secretary Eric Pickles was asked on the Sunday Politics whether he would admit that net migration would not be below 100,000 by the next election.
Mrs May's comments came after one of the Conservative Party's most influential backbenchers said the party lacked clarity, rigour and courage in the eyes of the public. He said there would be measures announced soon and "it is our intention to move towards that target - we will do our damnedest to do that".
When programme host Andrew Neil put it to Mr Pickles that the target was not going to be hit, Mr Pickles said: "I don't know that to be fact - I cannot confirm that."
The questions about immigration policy came in the wake of the English local election results which saw the UK Independence Party, which focused its campaign on leaving the EU and regaining control of UK borders, taking seats off the more established parties.
The debate about the response to the results also saw one of the Conservative Party's most influential backbenchers say the party lacked clarity, rigour and courage in the eyes of the public.
David Davis, who once stood against David Cameron for the Tory leadership, suggested the perceived deficiencies lay behind the popularity of UKIP.David Davis, who once stood against David Cameron for the Tory leadership, suggested the perceived deficiencies lay behind the popularity of UKIP.
He called on Mr Cameron to bring forward by a year his promise of an in/out EU referendum to 2016 - a call which has since been rejected as impractical by Defence Secretary Philip Hammond and Communities Secretary Eric Pickles.He called on Mr Cameron to bring forward by a year his promise of an in/out EU referendum to 2016 - a call which has since been rejected as impractical by Defence Secretary Philip Hammond and Communities Secretary Eric Pickles.
Nigel Farage's anti-EU party picked up 161 extra councillors in Thursday's poll - taking seats from all three main Westminster parties and raising questions about their policies a year out from the next UK General Election.Nigel Farage's anti-EU party picked up 161 extra councillors in Thursday's poll - taking seats from all three main Westminster parties and raising questions about their policies a year out from the next UK General Election.