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James Cleverly has faced a backlash after boasting about a Tory crackdown on overseas care workers.
In December, the home secretary announced a five-point plan to bring down the numbers of immigrants coming to the UK by 300,000 a year.
The strategy included banning overseas care workers from bringing dependents with them to the UK as the minimum income requirement for anyone wanting to move foreign family members with them was to be more than doubled to £38,700.
The new rules will come into effect from March 11. On Monday, Cleverly took to X (formerly Twitter) to highlight how the ban is moving forward.
He said: “Today in parliament we have laid an order to ban overseas care workers from bringing dependants. This is just one part of our plan to deliver the biggest-ever cut in migration.”
Today in Parliament we have laid an order to ban overseas care workers from bringing dependants.
This is just one part of our plan to deliver the biggest-ever cut in migration 👇 pic.twitter.com/ZRTMfvVho8
— James Cleverly🇬🇧 (@JamesCleverly) February 19, 2024
The government made the announcement as figures revealed that 672,000 more people entered the UK than left it in the 12 months to June.
The Tories’ 2019 general election manifesto pledged to bring the figure down to less than 229,000.
On X, Cleverly’s update received short shrift. SNP leader at Westminster, Stephen Flynn, said: “This will damage the care sector, the NHS and the economy. It is populist idiocy.”
This will damage the care sector, the NHS and the economy.
It is populist idiocy. https://t.co/wfxkkmIrSk
— Stephen Flynn MP (@StephenFlynnSNP) February 19, 2024
My mum spent 8 years in care before she died.
Looked after by remarkable and dedicated women from overseas who loved her and saw her and us through it – one of them had her little boy with her.
Didn't think you people could revolt me any more but you managed it @JamesCleverlyhttps://t.co/fYajGZjkWQ
— Otto English (@Otto_English) February 19, 2024
You can come here and literally wipe our arses, but don't for a second imagine there's anything in it for you. https://t.co/apEneIWF7b
— jonn elledge (@JonnElledge) February 19, 2024
Not content with pushing universities to the brink, they're now doing the same with the care sector – in exactly the same way. https://t.co/5BpPHpJl50
— Glen O'Hara (@gsoh31) February 19, 2024
“Today in Parliament we used the only life we’ll ever have to needlessly make the country a nastier, colder place to live while simultaneously ensuring there’ll be nobody available to look after your nan.” https://t.co/oXQeq74zMA
— Nick Pettigrew (@Nick_Pettigrew) February 19, 2024
"You can look after our families but can't be with your own".
Is it any wonder so much exploitation takes place in the care sector when even the government pushes the idea migrants working in it are just there to serve others, instead of being treated with respect and decency. https://t.co/CJJZPnl0wI
— Dan Sohege 🧡 (@stand_for_all) February 19, 2024
FYI… We have 152k vacancies in the care sector and a government that has done nothing to reform it, improve access to care or pay care workers fairly. These are not serious people. https://t.co/uj52wnQ9I7
— Gavin Edwards (@GavinEdwards77) February 19, 2024
This is just awful. Imagine bragging about breaking up the families of people we pay to look after our own families. https://t.co/qQYp46Wmy5
— Bernard Donoghue (@bernarddonoghue) February 19, 2024
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