Paul Waugh Profile picture
May 26 5 tweets 2 min read Twitter logo Read on Twitter
Both Labour and the Tories should ditch the numbers game on immigration - and focus on fixing Britain.

The latest #WaughOnPolitics

inews.co.uk/opinion/immigr…
As soon as a politician is asked is immigration "too high" and says "yes", the next Q is "well what level should it be?" (A: er, I dunno)
The answer should be that now we have "control" it will go up and down according to the needs of a *dynamic* economy and public services.
Ending the numbers game (which was one of the things @BorisJohnson got right in July 2019 but then foolishly reversed in Dec manifesto) avoids the arbitrary target chasing that undermined trust in Cameron/May.
But now we're back in the "too high but I won't say how high" dead end
Yes we need to better skills/pay/conditions/housing for Uk born workers. But we also need migrants.

Unless we start having babies in our 20s and want to die in our 70s, raw demographics mean we need more migrants to maintain growth and pay our way.
The UK is in a global race to attract high skilled individuals (versus the US, Canada, Australia, Germany).
But migrants overall are more likely to start businesses + create jobs.
Yes, even "unskilled" migrants (like Trump's grandfather, Carnegie + more in the US)

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More from @paulwaugh

May 26
Exclusive: George Osborne summoned to Covid Inquiry over impact of NHS austerity cuts on pandemic

inews.co.uk/news/george-os…
More details here in my piece for @theipaper Weekend:

The Covid Inquiry is set to put Tory austerity on trial.

inews.co.uk/opinion/covid-…
Also in today's piece, new FoI release shows:@RishiSunak spent twice as much in ONE MONTH on EatOutToHelpOut (£840m) as Govt spent in 18 MONTHS on isolation payments for low-paid (£385m)

inews.co.uk/news/george-os… Image
Read 9 tweets
May 24
Big news coming after 12 noon, (and I don't mean PMQs)
Here's the big story:
Cabinet Office accused of holding back ‘politically sensitive’ evidence about Boris Johnson from Covid Inquiry

Chair of Public Inquiry clearly unhappy

inews.co.uk/news/politics/…
.@BorisJohnson (who's in Las Vegas making money) asked her to delay going public.
And the chair of the inquiry effectively said 'nope' Image
Read 9 tweets
Apr 26
The final figures are in: just 63,279 people met last night's 5pm deadline to apply for new Voter ID.

That's a tiny 3% of the 2 MILLION people who lack the right ID to vote under the Govt's new rules.

inews.co.uk/opinion/tory-v…
A few people clearly didn't get the memo, and tried to apply after the 5pm deadline. They'll now be told at the polling station: 'no ID, no vote'

#dashboardofdoom

…-authority-certificate.service.gov.uk/performance Image
Meanwhile, here's a Tory leaflet delivered to a strongly Labour voting area in Norwich, telling people 'you don't need to take any ID in order to vote...'

@TownCloseEmma has reported it to the Electoral Commission. Image
Read 6 tweets
Apr 26
The @timloughton amemdment to curb detention of children in the Illegal Migration Bill now has 22 backers.
Feels like Govt edging towards either accepting it or at least @RobertJenrick signalling from Despatch Box key concessions.

Here's my piece yday
inews.co.uk/opinion/tory-r…
.@RobertJenrick tells MPs the removal of unaccompanied children is a "complex" moral issue.
"A very large number of young adults do pose as children". Says one migrant posing as a minor had committed a murder + discretion needed cos people smugglers may load children onto boats
Jenrick says Govt accepts MP concerns and says "It’s our intention that children are not detained for any longer than is absolutely necessary with particular regard to absconding.”

Given his new reassurance he asks @timloughton to withdraw his amendment
Read 5 tweets
Apr 25
Understandably lots of focus on the race help British nationals to flee Sudan.

But under Govt's Illegal Migration Bill, Sudanese *children* who flee Sudan will face detention and deportation.

Unless enough Tory MPs vote for @timloughton amendment.

inews.co.uk/opinion/tory-r…
Why are there so many British nationals in Sudan? Because some have family links. Yet there is no safe and legal route to the UK for refugees.

As @refugeecouncil + @barnardos point out, nearly all child Sudanese, Afghan, Eritrea migrants are granted refugee status after arrival Image
With Theresa May and Iain Duncan Smith not expected to force a vote on their amendment on modern slavery, the child detention amendment is set to be the main focus for possible Govt defeat - unless ministers make more concessions.

Lords defeats loom too.

inews.co.uk/opinion/tory-r…
Read 4 tweets
Apr 21
.@RishiSunak letter to @DominicRaab expresses "great sadness" at his resignation. ImageImage
Key sentence sounds slightly cryptic. "It is clear there have been shortcomings in the historic process that have negatively affected everyone involved".
Surely PM/No10 will have to elaborate on what this means.
NB Sunak also reveals he consulted his independent adviser on ministerial interests.
Yet we have no idea what that adviser advised. Not a lot of transparency so far.
Read 5 tweets

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