Jonathan Portes has falsely accused Migration Watch UK of lying. Professor Portes is wrong and his accusation is false. This is a familiar tactic of his when he disagrees with or disapproves of any argument. As historian Niall Ferguson wrote in a powerful Spectator article in 2015, he seeks, ‘to undermine an irrefutable argument by […]
Summary: As well as summarising three key areas of disagreement over the rights of EU nationals in the UK and vice versa that have arisen during the first two rounds of Brexit negotiations in June and July, this paper highlights eight other objections that have been made to the UK’s offer (published on 26th June), along […]
The UK government has now published a detailed proposal on the future rights of EU citizens living in the UK before the UK leaves the EU. The main elements are summarised in the link below. The UK is of course negotiating with the European Union, which has taken a different view of those who should […]
The organisation Global Future argues in a recent report (published on 19th March) that cutting net migration would be ‘catastrophic’ for the British economy. It claims that continued high rates of net migration help keep unemployment low, tackle the UK’s chronically low productivity growth and are essential in helping to address the consequences of an ageing […]
Migration Watch UK have today issued a paper (EU Immigration, Post-Brexit – A Comprehensive Policy) on the prospect for temporary visas for EU migrants to work in jobs at lower skill levels than presently required for admission of non-EU nationals, such as bricklaying, plumbing and construction among others, for a maximum of three years after […]
Summary 1. A major benefit of Brexit will be our ability to control migration from the EU, now running at about 160,000 a year (net). The focus should be on preserving access for the highly skilled by means of work permits similar to those now issued to highly skilled non-EU migrants.[1] 2. For some occupations […]
In a blog for UK in a Changing EU, Professor Jonathan Portes draws attention to a new report from the Office of National Statistics about migrant workers in the UK labour market. While the report contains much interesting information, Professor Portes uses it to make assertions about Migration Watch proposals for immigration in the future […]
Summary 1. There is a perfectly feasible way forward on immigration which meets the main concerns of all participants, except for some relating to new arrivals of low paid migrant workers. Early publication of the UK’s objectives (but not the strategy) would help calm concerns without weakening our hand. Introduction 2. In advance of the […]
Daniel Korski, the former Deputy Director of David Cameron’s Policy Unit in Number 10, has published a comprehensive account of why he believes the referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU was won by those advocating our departure. See here. One particular section has garnered considerable media attention and is worthy of a few comments. […]
The Scottish Government’s recent paper(read here) on the implications of Brexit for Scotland’s economic performance suggests restrictions on European migration could increase skills shortages with adverse implications for the economy. The paper provides neither references nor any evidence to support this assertion. In fact, the impact of immigration on the Scottish economy is far less than on […]