Explainer-in-brief: All time high migration, but do we want more?
Last week Keir Starmer came out saying that British businesses should cease their “immigration dependency” and source more of their workforce in the UK. Labour has always had a more centrist stance on immigration, but Sir Keir is keen to make clear he’s not going to unravel Brexit if he is elected. His stance echoes that of many Tory MPs.
Yet Starmer might have got the balance wrong just like many Conservative MPs, as the public seems to think differently. According to a new YouGov poll, when asked whether specific sectors need more foreign workers, the majority of people consistently replied yes.
On the NHS, social care and agriculture, more than 50 per cent of people said there’s a need for more foreign workers. The majority of people also thought that was the case for hospitality and construction.
Perhaps once again, politicians are confusing what they think the electorate wants with the reality of staff shortages in essential sectors.