UK POLITICS

HM’s government has withdrawn its immigration bill seeking to introduce a points-based system

23 April, 2020
Oliver Down

The British government has withdrawn its immigration bill that was seeking to introduce a points-based system after Brexit and end the free movement of people from European Union countries. The bill was pulled from the Commons order paper by the leader of the house Jacob Rees-Mogg ahead of a second reading yesterday.

UNN’s Oliver Down had received reports that ministers spent last week mulling over plans to delay the reading because of the outbreak of the coronavirus and Mr Rees-Mogg’s commons statement yesterday confirmed those reports. 

MP’s returned to the House of Commons today moved into a new “virtual parliament”. However, yesterday whilst appearing in front of a spattering of MP’s the leader of the Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg confirmed that the government would not be bringing the Immigration Bill back for debate on the scheduled date.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, Leader of the House of Commons

This development appears to have been lost amid all of the Coronavirus developments and the Liberal Democrats have welcomed the move. It’s home affairs spokesperson Christine Jardine said: “I’m glad the government has listened to Liberal Democrat concerns and decided not to move the immigration bill today. Now Conservative ministers should use this delay to reconsider their destructive plans to end free movement”.

This legislation was set to usher in a points-based immigration system that marries restrictions for EU immigrants up with the restrictions for immigrants from all other countries. This legislation was supposed to come into force January 1st, 2021 and was to be part of “multi-year programme of change”, the most radical reform of immigration policy for a generation. It is currently unclear if or when this bill will be brought back.

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