The terminology that runs through the government’s leaked Brexit plans – and Labour’s reaction – is shocking and hasn’t received enough scrutiny
Thanks to leaked proposals we now know that the guiding principle of the government’s post-Brexit immigration plan is to put British workers first. This much is clear in the statement that: “Wherever possible, UK employers should look to meet their labour needs from resident labour.” It’s driven home in the proposal to impose a “skills tax” on companies that still hire workers from outside the UK.
Post-referendum, our discussions over immigration are often wrapped in verbal cotton wool, for fear of upsetting anyone by suggesting that we have veered into ethno-nationalism and racism – apparently a greater misdeed than any actual racism. So it is that the shocking terminology running through this government’s leaked plans has not met with enough scrutiny. Instead, we’ve had news programmes asking representatives of job sectors from care to hospitality why they aren’t already employing British workers (essentially: there aren’t enough non-migrants with the right skills who want to do those jobs).
Every time we talk about migrant workers, we’re not mentioning actual problems with pay, conditions and job insecurity
Related: Why are 40 hardline MPs setting the tone of the Brexit debate? | Simon Jenkins
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