The new PM must 'rebuild
public trust in managing
immigration', says survey

11 July 2019

Whoever becomes the new Prime Minister will need to work hard to gain public trust on immigration and throw off  ‘an unwanted inheritance’ from Theresa May, claims a new report.

A ICM survey asked members of the public as well as specifically those who voted Conservative in 2017, whether they thought Theresa May had done a good job managing immigration while she was Home Secretary and Prime Minister.

Only 18 per cent of the public and 25 percent of Tory voters agreed.

Asked to respond to the following statement:

‘On the whole, I feel that the government has managed immigration into the UK competently and fairly’, 

55 per cent from both groups surveyed disagreed.

British Future, a thinktank looking at ‘identity, integration, migration, opportunity’, suggests that the next Prime Minister concentrates on ‘rebuilding public trust in the competence of politicians and government to manage immigration competently and fairly.’

While no politician of any party secured a positive rating as a whole in the survey, both candidates for PM scored minus ratings – Boris Johnson had a trust rating of -27. Jeremy Hunt -28.

British Future further proposes that the new PM abandons the net migration targets which have not been successfully hit in eight years.

The majority of those surveyed (including Tory voters, Leavers and Remainers) believe that the focus should be placed on controlling the flow of skilled and low-skilled workers, with a yearly ‘conversation’ about migration.

Other suggestions from British Future include introducing an emphasis on migrant integration, such as access to English language classes, and abandoning plans for temporary visas in a bid to encourage migrants to settle in their local community.

They also recommend offering foreign workers, who meet the requirements, the opportunity to gain British citizenship on either a free or cost-price basis.

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