Today, Yvette Cooper, Shadow Home Secretary, delivered Labour’s approach to immigration. In the speech, Cooper warned UK employers exploiting migrant workers would result in a jail sentence. Ms Cooper urged the government to exclude university students and refugees from its net migration target and admitted that the last Labour government handled migration badly when it came to Eastern Europeans, failing to address ‘the worries people had’.
UK Employers Who Exploit Migrant Workers Are Committing A Crime
Yvette Cooper warned employers of UK businesses, that those who engage in the ‘wholesale’ exploitation of illegal migrant workers would face automatic jail terms.
“We want clearer, stronger laws so businesses know where they stand and responsible employers know they won’t be undercut, but so that it is clear that employers who use pressure or force to exploit people and get round employment law are committing a crime.”
Number Of International Students at British Universities Declining
The Shadow Home Secretary also criticised the current governments immigration policy. Commenting that the policy was leading to the “worst of all worlds” because net migration was going up, but the number of international students at British universities was going down.
According to figures recently released by the Higher Education Funding Council of England (Hefce), they show for the first time in 29 years, there has been a fall in the number of overseas students taking higher education courses in England. With postgraduate students from India and Pakistani declining by 50% in 2013.
The drop in the number of international migrants in the UK also caught the attention of others in the UK. Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of Universities UK stated:
“What is clear from this is that, if the UK wants to fulfil its potential in this growth area, it must present a welcoming climate for genuine international students and ensure that visa and immigration rules are consistent and properly communicated.”
Immigration Has Been Important To Britain For Many Years
Cooper admitted that the last Labour government got things wrong on immigration, admitting that they should of had transitional controls in place for Eastern European. Stating that the migration was far greater than expected.
The Labour MP made it clear that she believes that immigration has been important for Britain over many centuries.
“There can be no doubt this small island off the north-west coast off continental Europe could not have contributed so much to the world, from the English language to the Internet, without the contribution of immigrants.”
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