London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 29, 2025

Immigration system 'not meeting' Scotland's needs

Immigration system 'not meeting' Scotland's needs

Scottish ministers have called for urgent action from the UK government on immigration as the system is "not meeting" the needs of Scotland.

Temporary working visas have been introduced for hauliers and poultry workers to tackle labour shortages.

However, Scottish External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson said the measure does not help all UK sectors.

The UK's transport secretary said long term changes prevent sectors from standing "on their own two feet".

The UK government confirmed that 5,000 HGV drivers and 5,500 poultry workers will be eligible to work in the UK for three months, until Christmas Eve.

However Mr Robertson has written to Home Secretary Priti Patel saying: "The current immigration system is not meeting the needs of Scotland. At the moment it is not meeting the needs of sectors across the UK."

He called for an "immediate discussion" with the home secretary - and said the UK government "needs to urgently address the immigration challenges".

Mr Robertson wants Westminster to immediately introduce a 24-month temporary workers visa.

Mr Robertson has called for urgent talks with the home secretary

Worker shortages have been linked to both the coronavirus crisis and a lack of European labour after Brexit.

A shortage of lorry drivers has caused problems for a range of industries, from supermarkets to fast food chains.

In recent days, some fuel deliveries have been affected, leading to lengthy queues at petrol stations - despite ministers insisting the UK has plenty of fuel.

There are also concerns that Christmas shopping could be hindered without action.

Mr Robertson also said the shortage occupation list used for immigration must be reviewed - arguing that Scottish ministers should be given a formal role in determining what categories of workers are on this.

The UK government also has to reduce immigration fees, he said, claiming the costs involved in this were a barrier for both workers and employers.

Drivers queued at petrol stations on Friday, despite assurances of no fuel shortage

Industry body, Scotland Food & Drink, has accused the UK Government of using temporary visas "to fix bad headlines than fix the actual problem".

Chief executive, James Withers, said: "We have been calling for emergency visas for weeks, to avoid the collapse of some food supply chains.

"I seriously doubt that 10,000 three-month visas are going to cut it. It may help the driver situation a little but it won't address the chronic staff shortage in food production."

British workers 'undercut'


In addition to temporary visas, Ministry of Defence examiners will be used to help increase immediate HGV testing capacity by thousands.

Nearly one million letters will also be sent to all drivers who currently hold an HGV driving licence, encouraging them back into the industry.

And the UK Department for Education is investing up to £10m to create new "skills bootcamps" to train up to 3,000 more HGV drivers.

Appearing on BBC Scotland's The Sunday Show, UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said he wanted to support British people, but also make sure they can "train up for work".

He said his government wanted to avoid "going back to what has consistently happened" - that British workers are "undercut" by foreign workers prepared to enter the UK for lower salaries.

"In the longer term [this] prevents us from having a sustainable UK haulage sector because it could never stand on its own two feet," he said.

Pressed on how public sector jobs have also been affected by Brexit, Mr Shapps argued there would be a potential workforce in the form of people coming off the furlough scheme who may be unemployed.

He said: "We're coming out of the coronavirus crisis where all of those millions of people were on furlough. Indeed this month 1.6 million are due to come off furlough and sadly not all will be going back to their old jobs.

"Economists tell us we're likely see influx of people out of work and looking for other jobs. Across sectors and in Scotland there is the opportunity for people to be retraining into other jobs."


Mr Shapps appeared on The Sunday Show to discuss problems as a result of labour shortages


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
Explosive Email Shows Sarah Ferguson Begged Forgiveness from Jeffrey Epstein After Taking His Money
Corrupt UK Politician Ed Davey Demands Elon Musk’s Arrest for Supporting Democracy
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
Alibaba Debuts Open-Source Deep Research Agent with Benchmarks Rivaling OpenAI
Marcos Faces Legacy-Defining Crisis as Flood Projects Scandal Sparks Massive Tide of Protests
China’s Micro-Drama Boom Turns Stalled Real Estate Projects into Lavish Film Sets
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
'Company Got 5,189 H-1B Visas, Then Laid Off 16,000 Americans': US Defends New $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Golf legend tells Omar she should be 'sent back to Somalia' after her Kirk comments
EU Set to Bar Big Tech from New Financial Data Access Scheme
China Bans Livestreaming and AI in Religion Amid Crackdown on Shaolin Temple Scandal
×