Shameless Boris Johnson has waded into the escalating Tory row over immigration after arrivals to the UK hit an all-time high.
The former Prime Minister piled pressure on Rishi Sunak to bring down net migration, which rose to 745,000 in the year to December 2022 - mostly on his watch. Estimates from the Office for National Statistics put the figure - the difference between the number of people arriving and leaving the UK legally - three times higher than the Tories promised in their 2019 manifesto.
The figures triggered a wave of Tory infighting, with ex-Home Secretary Suella Braverman saying it was a “slap in the face” to voters and demands for immediate action from backbenchers. Mr Johnson said the numbers were "way, way too big" and called for a £40,000 minimum salary threshold for most workers coming to the UK. Ms Braverman previously called for an increase to the current £26,000 threshold.
Mr Johnson also warned that failing to act on immigration levels risked sparking far-right riots seen Dublin or the rise of politicians like anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders in the Netherlands. Writing in the Daily Mail, he said: "People will not accept demographic change at this kind of pace — even in the most achingly liberal of countries and capital cities. Look at what is happening in Dublin, where that lovely and happy city seems to have been engulfed by race riots.
"Look at Holland, where a patently Islamophobic candidate, Geert Wilders, has just won 35 seats in the parliament and may yet become prime minister. The people of Ireland and Holland, in my experience, are among the nicest, kindest, most generous in the world; and yet there are plainly large numbers in both countries who are starting to worry that something has gone wrong, and that the EU system of free movement — a border-free Europe for the entire 450million-strong territory — has too many downsides."
It comes as the Prime Minister refused to apologise for failing to get to grips with a key Tory election promise but admitted numbers were “too high”. Speaking during a visit to car manufacturer Nissan in Sunderland, Mr Sunak declined to say sorry, but said: "I'm very clear that the levels of migration are too high and they've got to come down to more sustainable levels."
The PM insisted he had already clamped down on the number of family members international students can bring with them - giving “a sense of my commitment to bringing migration down”. He added: "And if we see further abuse of the system, of course we're prepared to act to do more."
Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick is pushing for a crackdown on foreign health and care workers amid a furious backlash from Tory right-wingers over spiralling numbers of people coming to the UK. The PM declined to comment on the plan which would put a ban on foreign social care workers from bringing dependents, and a cap on NHS and social care visas.
The blueprint would also see the shortage occupation list scrapped, which allows foreign workers to be paid less than the going rate in roles where there’s a shortage of skilled workers. Unison General Secretary Christina McAnea warned that the struggling care system would "collapse" without overseas workers.
“Migrant workers are propping up a crumbling care system that the government has refused to fund properly," she said. “Anyone calling for a cap on numbers or other restrictions on the essential workers the country relies upon has no understanding of the healthcare system, and the pressures it faces."
Labour chairwoman Anneliese Dodds said it was "quite extraordinary" that such policies were only being suggested now - after 13 years of Tory rule. "If we were talking about a proper plan, actually getting a grip rather than gimmicks, then we would be in a different situation," she said.