Tories pledge to cut 'overall' immigration

BRITISH home secretary Priti Patel has said that the Conservative PArty would cut "immigration overall" to the UK after Brexit if they were to win the December 12 general election.

"We will reduce immigration overall while being more open and flexible to the highly skilled people we need, such as scientists and doctors," she said in a statement released by the party on Wednesday (13).

"This can only happen if people vote for a Conservative majority government so we can leave the EU with a deal."

Patel, however, did not spell out how she plans to cut down immigration.

The party is planning to end free movement from the EU on January 1, 2021, if they win the election and get their Brexit deal through by January 31.

They are planning a "points-based" system that would apply to EU and non-EU migrants.

The home secretary also claimed there would be a "surge" in immigration under a Labour government, which would put a strain on the NHS and other public services.

According to her, Labour’s plan to extend freedom of movement could treble net migration to 840,000 a year.

“Under Corbyn's Labour, immigration would surge, and put huge strain on schools and our NHS," Patel said. "Jeremy Corbyn has no credible plan for how to deal with the consequences of his open borders policy.”

But shadow home secretary Diane Abbott shot back, accusing the Tories of spreading "more fake news from the Conservative Party's make-believe research department".

She added: "Unlike the Tories we won't scapegoat migrants or deport our own Windrush generation citizens. The damage done to our society has been through damaging Conservative cuts to our public services, not by EU nationals coming to work in them."

Labour has not yet released its immigration policy.