Labour’s New Approach to Legal Immigration

By Arthur Searle, BSc Politics, Philosophy and Economics, Staff Writer 28/10/2024

The new Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has outlined Labour's new approach to legal migration, focusing on addressing the UK's persistent skill shortages. The plan aims to reduce the country's dependency on international recruitment and improve the immigration system to align with domestic workforce needs.

Immigration has long been a salient and volatile issue in the UK, with growing tensions manifesting in both public discourse and increasingly frequent anti-immigration protests across the country. This surge in anti-immigration sentiment is reflected in the rising popularity of Reform UK, a party whose central pledge is to drastically reduce immigration numbers. Both the Labour and Conservative parties have been heavily scrutinised for their policies. The Conservatives’ time in office saw a series of often harsh measures aimed at curbing both legal and illegal immigration. This includes the Rwanda scheme which was deemed illegal by the Supreme Court, cost £318 million, and only resulted in four volunteers being sent to Rwanda. The pressure is now on Labour to provide clear solutions and deliver on their election promises, especially on reducing net migration and reliance on overseas workers.

In her first statement to Parliament, Cooper began by acknowledging the valuable contributions made by migrants in the UK in terms of economics, academia and culture. However, she stressed the necessity of a properly controlled and managed immigration system stating that: ‘Immigration must not be used as an alternative to tackling skills shortages and labour market failures here in the UK.’ She argued that overseas recruitment and immigration are being used as a quick fix to fill gaps in the labour market and skills shortages in the UK, particularly in the IT and engineering sectors. Under the Conservatives, net migration figures soared, prompting public concern. According to Cooper, the Labour Party's plan marks a decisive shift from the previous administration’s approach, which has been heavily criticised for its failure to manage immigration effectively.

Labour's proposed solution is to forge stronger links between immigration policy and labour market strategies. The idea is to ensure that migration is no longer seen as an alternative to training the UK workforce or addressing structural issues within industries. The key to this strategy is empowering the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), an independent body responsible for advising the government on migration issues. Cooper announced plans to bolster the committee by adding Home Office staff to its secretariat and creating a new network of organisations to support its work. As a first step, Cooper said she would commission the MAC to conduct a review of sectors that have long depended on international labour, such as IT and engineering. Both sectors, she noted, have been on the UK's shortage occupation list for over a decade, highlighting the need for a long-term solution. The government’s approach will also involve close collaboration between the MAC and other bodies, including Skills England, the Industrial Strategy Council, and the Labour Market Advisory Board. Cooper emphasised that this collective effort is crucial to addressing not just immigration but also the root causes of the UK’s skills shortages.

It is important to note that despite Labour and the Conservatives agreeing on the importance of reducing net immigration, there are many voices in UK politics that advocate for open borders and encourage immigration, a prominent example of which is the Green Party. Adrian Ramsay, the Green Party’s co-leader, commented on Labour’s rhetoric saying: ‘Keir Starmer is falling into the same trap that the Conservatives have. Stoking division and adopting the anti-migrant rhetoric of Nigel Farage and Natalie Elphicke instead of welcoming the important role people choosing to work in the UK play. People coming to live and work in the UK play an invaluable role in our health and care sectors.’

In Cooper’s speech, she presented the policy as a logical solution to over-dependence on international hiring as a result of gaps in the labour market. However, it is likely to be some time before the desired effects are realised. This is because of the time it will take to train the number of skilled workers required to satisfy industry demand within the UK. This is particularly true in the sectors highlighted by the Home Secretary which usually take a number of years to gain the required training for, namely IT and engineering. In the meantime, the dependency on international recruitment is likely to persist and it is reasonable to assume that net migration will continue to climb until UK citizens begin to enter the job market with the relevant qualifications.