Despite pleas from backbenchers for the Conservatives to change their stances on net migration, they are still intent on reducing all levels of migration in the UK.

Liam Fox, who is former defence minister, has stated that the policy to reduce the inflow of immigrants below 100,000 was nonsense statics and called for a much clearer approach by limiting low-skilled labour.

According to Conservative chairman Grant Shapps, the numbers for migrants who are not from the EU is at its smallest figure since 1998 and believe that the target is a reachable one. Statistics up to September 2013 shows that net annual migration went up by 58, 000 to be around 212,000 in total. Net migration is the difference between the people who are settling into Britain as oppose to the ones who leave the country.

In defence the Prime Minister said his administration would curtail this figure to the tens of thousands region from what the previous party had which was about 250, 000 migrants.

The levels on non EU migrants saw a gradual decline in the year 2012 due to restrictions imposed on migration. However, the influx of migrants now entering the UK are coming from EU states which have seen an increased.

 

Positive vision

Mr. Fox strongly believes that the government should forget the target which was not a policy because of the opposition from the Liberal Democrats. He further stated while the conservative focused on curtailing net migration, the actual figures affect schools, housing and health. He called for the Conservatives to scrap what he calls statistic nonsense. He believes also that there must be a clear thinking on the immigration factor, and the law makers must not only look at the numbers but determine who comes to the UK and what skills should be offered. He has also warned the party not to become too complacent with the appeal of UKIP which believes the best method to curb immigration is to exit from the European Union. He also declares that the bulk of UKIP backing comes from former Conservative voters, but a foundation of positive vision, bright philosophy reachable objectives and should be its focus and not UKIP.

 

Pull factors

In an interview with the BBC, Chairman of the Conservative believes that they still had time to reach the target for net migration. He pledges that by the end of parliament the target will by then hit the downward trend. Apart from Eastern Europe, an upward trend of migrants from Italy and Spain were coming to the UK. He was in defense of the government’s policy in arresting what is called the pull factors which are benefits attracting migrants to the UK. Reducing non-EU migrants to its lowest since 1998 was a big improvement stated the Chairman.

Nigel Farage who is the leader of UKIP believes it is meaningless to have a target and can’t control it. The only way he believes will control this target is for Britain to leave the EU because that is the only way control can be guaranteed.