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UK’s Rishi Sunak pledges to introduce immigration cap if re-elected

  • Plan would involve a new cap on the number of visas that would be set by the UK parliament
  • Immigration is a highly contentious topic this election with net migration at 685,000 in 2023

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British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday. Photo: Reuters
Reuters

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday promised to introduce a legal cap to curb immigration levels if re-elected, taking aim at one of the main issues facing the country ahead of next month’s national vote.

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Sunak’s Conservative Party, which is trailing opposition Labour in polls, said that if the party returned to power, lawmakers would vote to set immigration levels, an issue that has dominated Britain’s political debate for more than a decade and played a role in the Brexit referendum.

“By capping migration numbers each year, we will ensure that public services are protected and housing is not overburdened, while still bringing the skills our businesses and NHS (National Health Service) need,” said the party, which is predicted to be heading towards its biggest election loss in over a century.

Sunak brought in new rules this year to cut legal migration, including barring international students from bringing in family members and increasing the salary threshold for skilled worker visas.

Annual net migration to Britain fell to 685,000 in 2023 from a record high of 764,000 in 2022.
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While lower than the figure in 2022, the level of net migration last year was still around three times higher than in 2019, when the Tories won the last election with a promise to slash migrant numbers.

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