Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to bring down net migration by the end of this parliament with a system that is “controlled, selective and fair”.
However the prime minister has refused to say how far he wants figures to fall, only saying numbers will come down “substantially”.
Politics latest: Starmer announces sweeping migration crackdown
Sir Keir was delivering a news conference after the government announced plans for new English language and British citizenship requirements in order to bring migration down, ahead of an Immigration White Paper to be published later this morning.
The prime minister said: “Some people think controlling immigration is reining in a sort of natural freedom, rather than the basic and reasonable responsibility of the government to make choices that work for a nation’s economy.
“And for years, this seems to have muddled our thinking. But let me be clear, it ends now. We will create a migration system that is controlled, selective, and fair.”
Asked if that means net migration will fall, he said it would “fall substantially by the end of this parliament” – but didn’t give a specific target.
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