Robert Jenrick insisted the UK is committed to cutting net migration after CBI boss Tony Danker said foreign workers are need to “plug the gap” in job vacancies.
Mr Jenrick said the Government disagrees with the CBI on the need for more immigrant labour to boost economic growth after Brexit.
He added: “If British employers are looking for lower-skilled labour, then the first port of call should be the domestic workforce.”
He is expected to tell politicians later today that arguments over Brexit need to end and immigration has to be used to solve worker shortages in a bid to boost growth.
In his speech at the CBI annual conference 2022 in Birmingham, Mr Danker is expected to praise some of the “incredibly welcome” announcements in last week’s autumn statement while also warning the UK must go further in order to solve years of stagnating growth.
Senior politicians are expected to attend the business body’s two-day conference, which comes only days after Chancellor Jeremy Hunt unveiled £25 billion of tax rises in a budget designed to restore market confidence in the UK.
The pivot from massive tax cuts, outlined in Liz Truss’s disastrous mini-budget, to steep tax rises has been criticised by some on the Tory backbenches, raising speculation of a rebellion by MPs over some of the measures.
With the UK forecast to be already in recession, Mr Danker will tell the conference: “The painful reality about growth is that it can’t be stimulated overnight.
“Across-the-board tax cuts.
Pointing to ongoing “barriers” to growth, Mr Danker will call on politicians to be “practical” about immigration.
He will also urge reform of regulations and red tape, telling the audience: “I know that some Conservative politicians today feel that this issue is the fault of Europe.
Mr Danker is also expected to flag concerns over Brexit, namely the as-yet unresolved row with the EU about the Northern Ireland Protocol.
The above summary was derived from the story linked below
Source: UK will not ease immigration rules to help plug labour shortage, says minister
