That the Home Secretary proposes to lift the cap on Tier Two immigration in order to allow, in the short term, more trained doctors to come into Britain and to help to ease the pressure on the NHS is a very good thing. It does not, though, get to the heart of a problem that has to be addressed. 

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The EU Referendum, which ought to have been a serious discussion about our national security and long-term economic interests, in respect of which there are strongly and legitimately held views on both sides, was turned into a plebiscite on immigration with some appallingly populist, bordering on racist, arguments deployed by those who ought to have known better in order to win the day. 

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Yes, we are a small island and yes, there is a strain on our housing, education and medical services and there is a limit to the number that we can afford to take in and accommodate and provide for annually. The idea, though, that “these people” come to Britain to sponge off an over-generous benefit system is very largely a myth. Those that seek entry, whether legally or otherwise, are generally economic migrants wishing to work to better their own lives and that of their families here or in the countries from which they have originated.  Aside from those who are victimised in the revolting trade in human traffic who are enslaved `below the radar` on pitiful or no wages they pay taxes and contribute to the wealth and prosperity of our nation. 

Over generations Great Britain has played host to many people from many lands and has offered asylum to those in genuine fear for their lives. They, in turn, have made a significant contribution to our country. Most recently, as a result of wars in the Middle East and famine and poverty in Africa the tide of refugees and economic migrants has indubitably turned into a flood that Europe in general and Britain as one target destination have found it hard if not impossible to assimilate. Control is absolutely necessary if the system is not to collapse. 

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At the same time we do need immigrant labour and not just, or even, the” Tier Two” skilled labour that it is proposed that we should extend. I have said before that if you took all of the Overseas employees from the hospitals of East Kent they would close overnight and very many of those keeping our services running are not from within the EU at all but from much further afield. They are not just `the doctors` to whom people tend to refer but the nurses and the ancillary staff that do the jobs that local labour does not want to undertake that keep the ship afloat.  

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There is an argument that says that if we need more doctors and nurses, which we most certainly do, then we should be training them (which is happening but of course takes time) and not poaching them from counties that need their skills at home. It is the unskilled workers, those that are prepared to do the hard and dirty jobs that local people do not aspire to or are not prepared to do, that will be in short supply.  Agriculture – firms like Thanet Earth, for example – depend heavily on migrant labour and historically it has always been the case that those who have harvested crops, be they potatoes or cauliflowers or apples or hops or tomatoes, have come from outside the area – traditionally from London and more recently from mainland Europe.  Without that pool of labour and without those that want to work in our health and hospitality and catering and caring and other businesses and industries there is a very real danger that post-Brexit Britain will come to a `perfect storm` of demand but no supply.  

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Our attitude to immigration neds to be rather more mature than either the “there are too many bloody foreigners in the country so bring down the shutters” or the over-liberal “open the doors” policies of Jack Straw and Mr Blair in 1997 that characterise the unpleasant right and the soft left of British politics.  A check had to be made and was made by Theresa May as Home Secretary. Her successor now has to finesse that policy to ensure that our system of immigration is fair and compassionate, certainly, that it meets the needs of a nation looking beyond Europe for its trade and prosperity and that it does not place an intolerable upon the services that all people need to co-exist in harmony. That is a hard call and I do not envy the task that lies ahead of Sajid Javid.

 

 

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