Home Secretary rules out UK immigration cap

July 15 2009 by Mark Johnstone

Home Secretary Alan Johnson on UK immigration

The UK Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, has revealed that he has no intention of capping the number of immigrants coming to live and work in the UK.

In a speech to the Home Affairs Committee, Johnson said that the UK should continue to welcome foreigners who move to the UK adding that a cap on numbers would be bad for the economy.

The Home Secretary stated that he enjoyed the UK’s multicultural society and that immigration is a two-way street - foreigners move to the UK and UK citizens are able to go and work abroad if they wish. He said, “I'm happy to live in a multicultural society. I'm happy to live in a society where we not only welcome those coming to live and work in this country, but also where we can go and live and work in other countries.”

Johnson added that recent reports that the population may soon grow to 70 million do not keep him 'awake at night', but agreed that UK immigration has been a contentious topic during the recent recession. However, he said that claims that immigrants contribute to the UK economy are “irrefutable”.

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