[1/2]A sign appears at the arrivals passport control area at Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport, London, Britain, March 23, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/Files Obtaining licensing rights
LONDON, Dec 4 (Reuters) – Britain will unveil changes to its immigration legal system on Monday after official statistics showed the number of annual arrivals reached a record high last year, putting pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who has promised to reduce the number.
Sunak’s spokesman said the prime minister believed net migration into the country was too high and should be reduced “significantly”.
Sunak’s spokesman said British Home Secretary James Cleverley would present a statement to Parliament later on Monday “detailing further measures to reduce levels of legal immigration and stop abuse of the system.”
Data last month showed that annual net migration to the UK reached a record high of 745,000 last year and has remained at high levels since then, putting political pressure on Sunak to act to reduce it in the run-up to elections expected next year.
Sunak’s spokesman said: “We believe the numbers are too high and must be reduced significantly and in the short term.”
“The evidence we have is that some of the people we encounter, especially dependents, are not actively contributing to the workforce in any substantive way.”
Reported by Alistair Smout. Edited by Andrew MacAskill and Sarah Young
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