New immigration controls are exactly why I voted for Brexit: Bill Carmichael

In a famous speech, Portia, the cross-dressing lawyer in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, sings the praises of the quality of mercy. She says: “It is twice blessed. It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson alongside Home Secretary Priti Patel during a visit to the Port of Southampton, whilst on the General Election campaign trail in December. Picture: Stefan Rousseau/PA WirePrime Minister Boris Johnson alongside Home Secretary Priti Patel during a visit to the Port of Southampton, whilst on the General Election campaign trail in December. Picture: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire
Prime Minister Boris Johnson alongside Home Secretary Priti Patel during a visit to the Port of Southampton, whilst on the General Election campaign trail in December. Picture: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

Sometimes I think immigration is a bit like that because it also offers a double blessing – it can benefit the individual immigrant and also bring advantages to the host country that accepts newcomers.

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The immigrant has the chance to escape poverty, corruption and war and build a better life for his or her family. That’s why millions of people are queuing up to escape the Islamist war zones of the Middle East and the socialist hellholes of Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea, for freer countries where their hard work has a better chance of reward.

And the host community benefits from an injection of fresh and younger blood – particularly important in a rapidly ageing population, such as the UK’s. Immigrants can make a contribution not just in economic terms in the work they do and the taxes they pay, but by raising their families and integrating successfully they can also help build strong, stable communities.

And let’s not forget that some of the world’s most successful countries – for example the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand – were largely built on the backs of immigrants. So generally I am in favour of immigration because it offers this win-win benefit.

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But in the 2016 Referendum I voted to leave the EU and everything I have seen since has convinced me I did exactly the right thing.

One reason I wanted out of the EU was the freedom of movement rules imposed by Brussels. So, what’s the difference between freedom of movement and immigration? The answer can be summed up in a single word – control.

Now we are finally an independent nation once again we can decide, through our elected representatives, who we allow into our country and who we keep out – just like every other sovereign state in the world.

We no longer have to follow the diktats of unaccountable EU bureaucrats whom we never voted for and couldn’t get rid of.

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And never forget that the EU’s immigration policy is inherently racist in that it discriminates in favour of predominantly white-skinned people in Europe and against predominantly black and brown skinned people in the developing world.

Now we can set our own rules, it means that the brilliant software engineer from India or the world-class paediatric surgeon from Kenya have a better chance of entering the UK than the career criminal from Lithuania or the Mafia boss from Italy.

We were never allowed to make such common sense decisions while we remained under the yoke of the racist EU.

For these reasons I welcome the UK’s new points-based immigration policy announced by Home Secretary Priti Patel this week.

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Under the new rules, prospective immigrants can accrue the necessary points to come and work in the UK by being able to speak English, having employment skills and a job sponsor and having a salary of at least £25,600. The minimum salary is flexible and could be as low as £20,480 if they are filling a job where there are shortages, such as nurses.

Applicants with higher education qualifications, particularly in science, technology, engineering and maths will be awarded extra points. They will be banned from claiming income related benefits and will be required to pay a £400 a year fee to use the NHS. They will be allowed – as at present – to bring in their spouses and children.

It all seems pretty sensible to me, although there have been complaints from some industry sectors, such as farming and care homes, that it could lead to labour shortages. But we have a pool of 1.3 million unemployed people. Some of them are possibly unemployable but surely not all. If the right incentives and training are offered, many of them may be tempted back into work.

And the key thing here is that we are in control. If the new rules do cause problems for some industry sectors, they can be quickly tweaked by our elected representatives in Parliament.

We no longer have to go cap in hand to the Berlaymont Building, in Brussels. To quote Martin Luther King: “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty we are free at last!”