Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

'We need foreign workers': Businesses and GMB union tell Starmer

Starmer did not set a specific target for reducing immigration but said, “Read my lips — I will bring immigration numbers down.�

'We need foreign workers': Businesses and GMB union tell Starmer

Business groups and the GMB union have warned Keir Starmer that Britain needs foreign workers after he pledged to cut immigration.

Starmer stated that the UK has become too reliant on foreign workers to fill skill shortages and said a Labour government would train Britons to fill these gaps.


Businesses and one of Labour’s largest supporting unions have expressed concerns about this plan, reported The Times. Matthew Percival, the skills director of CBI, said, “The CBI has long called for a stronger link between shortages and the training that is available. It’s a key part of a more honest conversation about immigration.”

Neil Carberry, chief executive of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, warned the plan could jeopardise Starmer’s goal of making the UK the fastest-growing economy in the G7, reported the newspaper.

“We currently have a broader shortage of people — not a few specific shortages,” he said. “Labour would cause problems for its own growth goal by restricting firms from access to workers where the alternative might be work going elsewhere.”

Gary Smith, head of the GMB union, criticised Starmer’s proposal, saying, “We have to have migration in our economy. Clearly, people will expect that to be managed and done properly. What I am concerned about is getting into a divisive agenda around migration and immigration, something that is being exploited by the right to try and put fear into people. The truth is we need migrant workers in our economy.”

Last year, net migration stood at 685,000, up from about 206,000 in 2019. Starmer did not set a specific target for reducing immigration but told The Sun on Sunday, “Read my lips — I will bring immigration numbers down. I will control our borders and make sure British businesses are helped to hire Brits first.”

Read Also: Tories propose NHS modernisation and pharmacy expansion

Experts said that immigration levels are already beginning to fall, which could make Starmer’s pledge easier to achieve, The Times reported. Rob McNeil, deputy director of the Oxford University Migration Observatory, said, “If a Labour government were to be elected then there would already be a fair wind behind their pledge to reduce net migration without changing current policy.” However, he acknowledged it would be harder to find British workers to fill all the gaps.

Business leaders and unions are calling for credible plans to improve the skills of British workers while recognising the continued need for migrant workers in the economy.

More For You

Court to review teen's sentence in Bhim Kohli case
Bhim Kohli

Court to review teen's sentence in Bhim Kohli case

THE seven-year prison sentence handed to a 15-year-old boy convicted of the manslaughter of 80-year-old Bhim Sen Kohli is to be reviewed under the UK’s Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme.

The Attorney General’s Office confirmed on Friday (5) that the teenager’s sentence will now be considered by the Court of Appeal.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dalai Lama hopes to live 'beyond 130 years'

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama attends a prayer meet held for his long life at the Dalai Lama temple in the northern hill town of Dharamshala, India, July 5, 2025. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis

Dalai Lama hopes to live 'beyond 130 years'

THE Dalai Lama said on Saturday (5) he hopes to live until he is more than 130 years old, two decades longer than his previous prediction, following his assurance to followers that he would reincarnate as the spiritual head of the faith upon his death.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner was speaking during a ceremony organised by his followers to offer prayers for his long life, ahead of his 90th birthday on Sunday (6), and as China insists it will choose his successor. The Dalai Lama told Reuters in December he might live to 110.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK heatwave by mid-July

Daytime temperatures meeting or exceeding set thresholds of 25°C

iStock

Met Office warns of potential third UK heatwave by mid-July

Key points

  • Met Office forecasts rising temperatures by mid-July
  • Possible third heatwave after record-breaking June
  • High pressure system likely to bring hot air from the Atlantic
  • Yellow rain warning and flood alerts issued in parts of Scotland and Cumbria

Possible heatwave to return by mid-July

The UK could experience its third heatwave in a month by mid-July, the Met Office has said. Forecasters expect rising heat and humidity during the second weekend of July, following two weekends of unusually warm weather in late June.

June was officially the hottest on record in England, and the return of high temperatures could mean another heatwave for parts of the country. However, the Met Office cautioned that it is too early to confirm how hot conditions will get.

Keep ReadingShow less
crypto

Two men have been jailed for defrauding investors of £1.5 million through a fake crypto investment scheme. (Representational image: iStock)

Two jailed over £1.5m crypto investment scam

TWO people who duped investors of £1.5 million by selling fake investments in crypto have been jailed for 12 years, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said.

Raymondip Bedi, of Bromley, and Patrick Mavanga, of Peckham, conned at least 65 people by cold-calling them between February 2017 and June 2019. They operated companies including CCX Capital and Astaria Group LLP.

Keep ReadingShow less
Manchester Police probes over 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects

Photo for representation. (iStock)

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Manchester Police probes over 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects

GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE is now investigating more than 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects, following years of public criticism and institutional failings in tackling child sexual exploitation.

A new report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has revealed the force has made “significant improvements” in dealing with group-based sexual abuse and related crimes.

Keep ReadingShow less