WATCH: Sajid Javid drops major hint Government will ditch migration target
2 min read
Sajid Javid has dropped the biggest hint yet that ministers are planning on scrapping the target to bring immigration down to the “tens of thousands”.
The Home Secretary refused to commit to the aim set under David Cameron, only saying that the number arriving in the UK would come down to “sustainable levels” following Brexit.
The Government has come under fire in recent months over its “hostile environment” approach to migration following the Windrush scandal, in which may people of Caribbean descent faced deportation and the loss of access to public services despite living and working in the UK for decades.
Mr Javid, on taking over from Amber Rudd vowed to "do right" by those affected and distanced himself from the term, used by Theresa May when she held the post.
When asked by Home Affairs committee chair Yvette Cooper if the target was “a massive chain around your neck” that he wanted to “ditch”, Mr Javid responded “next question”, before smirking as MPs laughed off the comment.
The quip came just moments after he admitted the Government was still working towards the target, which it has never been able to hit.
“What we will be working towards is the target that was set out in the Conservative manifesto which is to get it down to the tens of thousands, we want to have a system that is working towards that, but as was recognised in that commitment, it’s not something that can be done overnight, it takes years to work towards that and that’s what will continue.”
He said the ministers would give more detail on future policy following the Migration Advisory Committee’s report, which is due in September.
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