Reframing the immigration debate is now a moral and economic imperative - Carolyn Bowie

Immigration was a key battleground in the election, with the Conservative’s inability to curtail the numbers of people entering the UK, and its all-but-failed Rwanda deportation scheme, particular pain points for Sunak’s ultimately doomed campaign.

In his first speech following the historic Labour landslide, Starmer confirmed unequivocally that the Rwanda plan would never be cleared for take-off. Instead, he reiterated manifesto pledges for a new UK border force and reform of the current points-based immigration system.

Many in the business world, me included, will be hoping this signals the start of a more reasoned and less overtly negative conversation about the benefits of immigration, not just the challenges.

But as always, the devil is in the detail – little of which has been provided by the new Prime Minister so far.

Labour’s manifesto included a plan to ‘kickstart growth’. Key to that plan, they said, would be reforming the immigration and skills system to prioritise developing ‘home-grown’ talent and ending the long-term reliance on overseas workers.

On first reading, that sounds a lot like a government intent on making it harder to bring in overseas talent. That is not what industries like healthcare, where the skills shortage must be addressed immediately, want to hear.

Healthcare, IT, construction, engineering are just a few of the core industries suffering from a skills deficit. These sectors need a skills infrastructure that is more flexible, that enables organisations to plug immediate gaps with overseas talent while better facilitating and incentivising the development of a new generation of skilled UK workers.

In April, the Conservative government increased the general salary threshold for those arriving on Skilled Worker Visas from £26,200 to £38,700. The financial requirement for dependants was also increased from £18,600 to £29,000, leaving many UK residents unable to bring their own loved ones home.

These changes have made it next to impossible for some businesses, particularly SMEs, to fill vacancies. Sir Kier criticised the increases at the time, but there was no mention of reversing them in his manifesto.

Likewise, the Tory ban on care workers bringing family members to the UK has created huge recruitment challenges for care providers. Again, a policy that was criticised by Labour at the time but not mentioned in the manifesto.

Investing in home-grown skills is something we can all get behind. But it would be naïve to think that Britain can operate in isolation. There may be some in our society that don’t want to hear this, but successful economies require migrant workers, and prospering businesses need to access a global talent pool.

These are facts that have been forgotten in an increasingly negative immigration debate – a debate that has now deteriorated into violence.

I am confident that the vast majority of UK citizens are just as disgusted as I am by the events of the past few days. Those people, and the businesses that support their communities, deserve the best of both worlds – a sustainable local talent pool, complimented by accessible, often niche, skills from overseas.

The new government has an opportunity to use its immigration policy to remind us of all the positives of a diverse and multi-national community. We’ve reached a tipping point that means seizing that opportunity is mission critical.

Resetting the narrative is now a moral and economic imperative.

Carolyn Bowie, Glasgow-based immigration solicitor at national law firm Weightmans