Conservative MP Kemi Badenoch on March 26, 2024 in London, England. (Photo Credit: Karl Cote/Getty… [+] image)
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Scotland should not be leading its own immigration and visa policy, the leading Conservative Party leadership candidate has said. It comes as the Conservative Party leadership race narrows and Scottish MPs call for tighter immigration controls.
Kemi Badenoch, a former trade minister and current Conservative leadership candidate, said in an interview with the BBC: “Immigration cannot be devolved (…) The border is the UK border, not between Scotland and England. ” he said.
Decentralization in the UK means that certain powers are decentralized from the Westminster government and placed in the hands of the Scottish, Northern Irish and Welsh parliaments. In Scotland, these powers include education, health, justice, housing and transport policy. Immigration is not one of these devolved issues. Recently, members of Scotland’s leading National Party called for tighter immigration controls, especially in light of the severe labor shortage seen since Brexit, but Scots voted against this. .
SNP leader Stephen Gethins said in early October: “A Scottish visa is needed to address the demographic challenges and damage caused by Brexit.” He specifically singled out the nursing care sector, which has been heavily affected by labor shortages in recent years, reducing both working conditions and the quality of services.
The idea has been rejected, despite previous reports that it was being considered by Britain’s current Labor government. Kemi Badenoch has made immigration a key issue in her bid to take over from former chancellor Rishi Sunak after the Conservative Party suffered its worst electoral defeat in its history. Both Mr Badenoch and his main rival for the leadership, Robert Jenrick, continue to make long-standing promises to reduce overall immigration numbers. Mr Badenoch said Scotland’s own visa system was difficult to “police” in this regard.
Scotland and Wales have often been seen as having more progressive attitudes than England on immigration. Although immigration policy itself is controlled by Westminster, some powers, such as housing and transport, are used by Parliament to make life easier for asylum seekers and refugees and promote social and economic integration. are.
Unlike England, attitudes towards immigration in general tend to be more positive in Scotland, particularly given the perceived need for labor. The previous Conservative government had long been at odds with Scottish MPs over the issue.
Prominent Scottish MPs have said they are ready to work with the New Labor government to increase immigration to Scotland. SNP leader John Swinney gave an interview to the BBC in June 2024, shortly before Labor came to power, in which he specifically emphasized his desire to work with the new government in Westminster to tackle skills and talent shortages. However, immigration is a highly salient political issue in the UK, and the New Labor government continued its Conservative predecessor’s pledge to reduce overall net immigration.
Construction is one of the industries struggling most to find workers in Scotland, with 35% of businesses reporting shortages, according to a recent government survey. The new Labor government has promised to focus on upskilling and training domestic workers, instead of bringing in more foreign workers. However, the construction industry has a long history of relying on labor migration. Questions have been raised about whether the domestic workforce will be able to fill the gap.
The problem is even worse in Scotland, where falling birth rates have reduced potential domestic recruits.
Alan Wilson, chairman of Scottish industry body Construction Industry Collective Voice, said in a recent report by consultancy BCIS: “Overall, we face not only a skills shortage but also a talent shortage. ” he said. “More deaths than births have occurred in Scotland in recent years, with the current birth rate falling from a high of 104,000 in 1964 to less than 50,000 and a future workforce of 50,000. % decrease.”
