Home Office ministers have sparked fury after announcing a major immigration u-turn just weeks after pledging to finally crack down on Britain’s record high influxes. Just three weeks ago, Home Secretary James Cleverly pledged a significant crackdown on immigration to cut numbers coming to Britain.
A key plank of the plan was the visa salary threshold increasing from £26,200 to £38,700.
Last night, however, a minister quietly announced that plans to make it harder for Britons to bring foreign partners and family members to the UK will be significantly watered down following left-wing backlash.
The Government had planned on making the family/spousal visa threshold the same as foreign workers – at £38,700, up from today’s £18,600.
Last night it emerged foreign spouses will need to earn just £29,000 in order to move to the UK, and the threshold won’t rise for visa renewals.
The announcement, slipped out by a Lords minister yesterday evening, sparked immediate backlash among right-wing Tories.
Robert Jenrick, who quit as immigration minister when Rishi Sunak’s new Rwanda deportation bill failed to live up to expectations, said: “More measures are needed, not less.”
Miriam Cates, co-chair of the New Conservative group of Tory MPs, blasted the move, saying: “Reducing the threshold for spousal visas so soon after promising a crack down does not bode well.”
Red Wall MP Jonathan Gullis slammed the Government’s climbdown, describing the decision as “deeply disappointing and undermine our efforts”.
Richard Tice, leader of Reform UK, accused the Government of reneging on their immigration pledges from just three weeks ago.
He added: “They simply cannot be trusted to do what they say.”
Former MEP and commentator Patrick O’Flynn accused the Tories of “selling out to big business vested interests”, describing it as outrageous but “no surprise at all”.
In a clarification letter, newly-appointed immigration minister promised the spouse visa will eventually rise to £38,700, but refused to guarantee any timetable or deadline.
The Government’s planned introduction of its wider immigration crackdown has also been slammed, after Home Office minister Tom Pursglove told the Commons the rules won’t be amended until next spring, with the “current salary and Minimum Income Requirement thresholds, and policies relating to dependants, [remaining] in place and at the current levels” until then.
A source close to Robert Jenrick said his main concern is now about the speed these plans are being brought in.
They said: “’The whole package needs to be implemented now, not long-grassed to the spring or watered down. More measures are needed, not less”.
