Migrant cap will hurt Britain says aide to ‘open door’ Tony Blair
THE mandarin in charge of Whitehall when Labour opened Britain’s immigration floodgates yesterday attacked the Government’s current cap on newcomers, saying it hurts economic growth.
The Coalition is “shooting itself in the foot” by shutting its borders to skilled immigrants, warned Sir Gus O’Donnell, former head of the civil service.
Tight immigration restrictions are “a big barrier to growth” as Britain emerges from recession, he claimed, saying they mean not enough skilled workers are moving to the UK.
Sir Gus worked in Number 10 for Tony Blair at a time when Labour operated an open door to immigration, then was Cabinet Secretary under David Cameron until he stepped down earlier this year.
In an article published yesterday he wrote: “The first thing that the Government can do to help growth is to stop shooting itself in the foot. A big barrier to growth is an immigration policy that deprives the UK of skilled workers.”
His comments echo those in a report presented on Wednesday by Lord Heseltine on how to encourage growth.
The first thing that the Government can do to help growth is to stop shooting itself in the foot
The Tory peer, a former deputy Prime Minister, said that “regulations relating to immigration policy should be reviewed” following warnings from business leaders that tight rules are deterring entrepreneurs.
Sir Gus said: “Lord Heseltine, while at pains to avoid criticising the Government, clearly sympathises with the difficulties that businesses face in recruiting these workers.”
Immigration Minister Mark Harper wrote in response to Sir Gus, saying: “What the Government has done is to ensure that those coming here from outside the EU are highly skilled, are actually needed by employers and will therefore make an additional contribution to growth, not simply substitute for British talent.”