The Telegraph, Monday 5th May 2025
It is not xenophobic to say the numbers must come down. It is basic arithmetic
In the wake of dire local election results, Keir Starmer has reached for his well-worn lexicon of managerial urgency. He now promises to go “further and faster” – phrases that, by now, resemble vapid incantations more than actual policy direction.
What precisely he intends to go further and faster towards remains characteristically unclear. However, we are told that a fresh package of migration controls is imminent, focused on international students. Specifically, Labour is reportedly considering new restrictions on the right of foreign graduates to remain in Britain unless they have secured work.
This looks like ballast for a party desperate to rebuild its Red Wall. But such gestures are woefully insufficient, and won’t address the profound demographic pressures we now face. Net migration peaked at 906,000 in the year to June 2023 – a historic level. I was Home Secretary at the time, fighting an often lonely battle within Cabinet to apply the brakes. That battle was largely lost.
The subsequent year saw numbers fall to 728,000. But even this reduced figure is a crisis.
When I arrived at the Home Office in September 2022, I was under no illusions. The system was out of control. By July 2022, the number of work and study visas issued had crossed the one million mark – a staggering figure for a supposedly post-Brexit immigration regime.
I had a plan, but only fragments were implemented before the election cycle reasserted its grip. The plan, however, still stands. If any government is truly serious about restoring public confidence, here is what must happen.
First, abolish the Graduate Visa route. Since its introduction in 2020, this has become one of the largest drivers of net migration.
In the year to June 2023, over 300,000 non-EU foreign students contributed to net migration – up from 120,000 in 2019. The numbers speak for themselves. This route allows graduates to remain in Britain for two years with no requirement to work or continue studying – a de facto extension of campus life, often supplemented by gig economy work. It is not immigration by necessity, but immigration by indulgence.
Second, raise the salary threshold for work visas. In 2021, it was lowered from £30,000 to £25,600 – a decision that coincided with an explosion in work visa numbers. This is not a coincidence. When you open the gates wider, more come through. The solution is obvious: increase the threshold significantly, ideally to something closer to £45,000. The migration system should not be a backdoor to low-wage, low-skill labour.
Third, curb the influx of dependents. This is the silent multiplier in our migration equation. In 2019, 55,000 dependents arrived. By 2023, that number had soared to 277,000 – a fivefold increase. This is not sustainable. Our infrastructure – housing, schools, GPs – is already creaking. This is not xenophobia. It is basic arithmetic.
We must stop pretending that endless inflows are compatible with social cohesion or economic realism. Britons are tired of being told they are bigoted for wanting borders. Tired of the technocratic euphemisms. Tired of promises that evaporate the moment ministers are confronted by the Blob.
Starmer may go “further and faster.” But in what direction – and with what courage?
