Controlling Migration
Dear Sir,
Controlling Migration.
Last week, the Government published its annual immigration report, the Control of Immigration Statistics 2006, but the key figure for net migration was "unavailable". Labour claims it is controlling migration - but if you can't count it, you can't control it. It all backs up the damning verdict, delivered by almost 60 per cent of the public, that "allowing immigration to rise to unacceptable levels" was Tony Blair's greatest failure.
My own approach recognises two key challenges in controlling immigration. First, while it can benefit the UK, not all of it does - we must have a limit to the numbers arriving and address the social impact. Second, it is impossible to manage immigration without proper border controls.
Some immigration has benefited the economy, but bureaucratic handling has made it more painful than it should have been. The Government predicted an influx of up to 13,000 immigrants from the new EU members, but around 700,000 have arrived.
I believe that immigration attracts some of the best people to this country - bringing expertise, economic dynamism and adding to the rich diversity of Britain. But we will not pretend there are no downsides. We have so little reliable data on immigration that the governor of the Bank of England publicly complains that it makes setting monetary policy more difficult.
The influx has inundated local authorities, like Havering, undermining their ability to provide housing and other public services.
So, I would set an annual cap on the numbers arriving. If Britain wants to attract the best talent, we also want to avoid the worst consequences.
We are a soft touch for those who flout the law and unfair on those who deserve our support. Organised crime slips too easily across our borders.
Aside from the direct impact of the crime we are importing, 15 per cent of the prison population are foreign prisoners. Why do we incarcerate so many foreign criminals here, at a cost of £1 million to the taxpayer each day? Even upon their release, we struggle to deport killers.
Gordon Brown's proposal for a "border service" - no police participation, no new powers, just a change of uniform - shows he cannot deliver the kind of dedicated police force that I have called for, with the powers to regain control of our porous borders. Similar to the USA, with its fully armed and equipped Coast Guard.
The Conservatives offer the only credible, common-sense immigration policy. Tough on those who defy our laws. Fair on those who respect them, with an annual limit on the numbers entering the country, robustly enforced by dedicated border police.
Yours sincerely,
Angela Watkinson MP.
