Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a statutory cap on levels of migration.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
This Government recognises and values the contribution that legal migration makes to the UK.
This Government is clear that net migration must come down from the record highs that were reached under the previous government.
Under the previous Government, between 2019 and 2024, net migration almost quadrupled, heavily driven by a big increase in overseas recruitment.
This Government is clear that net migration must come down and whilst we will always benefit from international skills and talent, immigration must not be used as an alternative to tackling skills shortages and labour market failures here in the UK.
The work to restore order to our immigration system is already underway, and we will be setting out our approach in detail in the upcoming Immigration White Paper.