'IT'S IMPOSSIBLE' Immigration targets CANNOT be guaranteed, migration boss warns
IMMIGRATION levels are out of the Government’s control and targets cannot be guaranteed, a migration advisor has warned.
Alan Manning: Immigration targets cannot be guaranteed
Professor Alan Manning, who chairs the Migration Advisory Committee, said Theresa May could now hit targets to cut net migration to “tens of thousands” when Britain finally leaves the European Union (EU).
However, he admitted the net target is difficult to meet because the Government cannot control the numbers of people leaving Britain each year.
He said: “I don’t think it’s impossible - but I do think it’s impossible to guarantee under our current system.
Professor Alan Manning said it's hard to guarantee immigration targets
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I don’t think it’s impossible - but I do think it’s impossible to guarantee under our current system
“If you have a net migration target and you can’t control emigration, it’s very difficult to control immigration.
“On the immigration side, you would need a lot more caps and quotas than we currently have.”
He told the Commons home affairs committee that numbers can be “quite volatile”, and are “driven by things that we don’t control”.
The Conservative Party pledged to cut net migration to “tens of thousands” when it came to power in 2010.
However, this target has been repeatedly missed and now figures stand at a near-record levels of more than 300,000 people a year.
Chair of the Committee Yvette Cooper MP
Mrs May has vowed to cut migration levels in Britain as part of her Brexit negotiations.
Lord Green of Deddington, MigrationWatch boss, also called on the Tories to introduce work permits for highly-skilled workers from the EU after Brexit.
Theresa May could cut migration levels after Brexit
The cross-bench peer said the move would help to cut out net migration by 100,000 a year in the UK.
He added: "This would cut net migration by 100,000 a year because the low paid, low skilled, mainly Eastern Europeans who would be cut out by a work permit system."