• The days of “cheap labor” must come to an end, says the leader of the UK’s main opposition party.
• Sir Keir Starmer urges the creation of a strategy to educate British workers and shift the economy away from its “low-pay model”.
• Sir Keir Sunak has outlined the immigration policies that a Labor administration would implement if they win the upcoming general election.

To wean the UK off its “immigrant dependency,” the days of “cheap labor” must come to an end, according to Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer.

Sir Keir urged the creation of a strategy to educate British workers and shift the economy away from its “low-pay model.”

He acknowledged the need for qualified foreign workers, though, and pledged to take a “pragmatic” stance on immigration.

His remarks come at a time when employers are requesting more foreign workers to spur economic expansion.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s speech on Monday was followed by the Labor leader’s address to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) conference in Birmingham.

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“People are arguing against immigration – but it’s the only thing that has increased our growth potential since March,” Mr. Danker said.

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The amount of EU citizens migrating to the UK has decreased since the UK withdrew from the European Union, and there was significantly less migration during the Covid-19 epidemic than in prior years.

Net migration is predicted to fall, with the amount expected to stabilize at 205,000 per year starting in 2026, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility.

In his address, Sir Keir outlined the immigration policies that a Labor administration would implement should they win the upcoming general election.

He pledged to implement an immigration system that better serves corporate requirements and acknowledges the need for talented workers from other countries.

However, he emphasized that any modifications to a system of points-based immigration “would come with new requirements for business.”

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“We will expect you to bring forward a clear plan for higher skills and more training, for better pay and conditions, for investment in new technology,” he said.

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“But our common goal must be to help the British economy off its immigration dependency. To start investing more in training up workers who are already here.”

When questioned about whether he intended net migration to fall, Sir Keir responded that he anticipated numbers to decline in regions that had been “overly reliant” on foreign labor.

He did, however, emphasize that he didn’t want to prevent companies from hiring foreign expertise.

In order to assist people in finding employment again, Sir Keir also pledged to address NHS waiting lists and enhance mental health care.

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“You can’t tell me the number of older people falling out of work has nothing to do with the millions stuck on NHS waiting lists,” he told the conference.

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