Theresa May 'waters down migration plans after Cabinet pressure'
1 min read
Theresa May has abandoned plans to force UK companies to prove they could not find British workers before taking on EU employees, it has been reported.
The plans, outlined in a draft white paper on immigration which was leaked earlier this month, would have come into force after the UK leaves the European Union in March 2019.
Measures were to include “an economic needs test that employers must complete to check whether suitable recruits can be found locally before hiring an EU citizen".
But according to the Times, references to the ‘economic needs test’ have reportedly been dropped from the latest draft of the paper.
Industry bodies were critical of the proposals, with the British Hospitality Association saying the policy would have a “catastrophic” impact on the ability of its members to find workers.
The paper says Home Secretary Amber Rudd and Chancellor Philip Hammond were against the plans, and pushed instead for a post-Brexit immigration regime that was more business-friendly.
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