London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Sep 11, 2026

UK must train own workers to curb migration - Braverman

UK must train own workers to curb migration - Braverman

Suella Braverman says there is "no good reason" the UK cannot train its own lorry drivers and fruit pickers to bring immigration down.
The home secretary will argue that it is "not racist" to want to control borders, in a speech later.

The Conservatives were elected on a promise to cut net migration - the difference between those entering and leaving the UK - to below 100,000.

But it is expected to hit a record 700,000 this year.

Ms Braverman's speech is being seen by some as a warning shot to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to focus more on cutting immigration, although Downing Street says her words were cleared with them.

Some senior Conservatives believe more immigration is needed in the short-term to boost economic growth.

Trade Minister Nigel Huddleston told Times Radio "every now and again we also need more people to come into the country," but the "key thing" was to have control.

"In the long term, we need immigration to come down because that's what has been causing some challenges in local areas for a long period of time," he added.

The horticulture industry has suffered labour shortages since the UK left the EU, which was made worse by the pandemic.

A campaign to recruit more UK-based workers for seasonal farm roles was scrapped in 2021 after a relatively small number of people signed up to it.

Speaking later at a conference organised by a US-based right-wing campaign group, in London, Ms Braverman will say we must not "forget how to do things for ourselves".

"There is no good reason why we can't train up enough HGV drivers, butchers or fruit pickers."

Visa rules have been relaxed or adjusted in some sectors in recent years to tackle worker shortages.

The home secretary will tell the National Conservatism conference Brexit enables a high-skilled, high wage economy to be built "that is less dependent on low-skilled foreign labour".

The net migration figure for 2022, due to be released next week, is estimated to be at least 700,000 - according to analysis by the centre-right think tank the Centre for Policy Studies.

This would be a record high, driven in part by the Ukraine resettlement scheme, but mostly by an increase in people coming to the UK to work and study from outside the EU.

Ms Braverman first became home secretary in September 2022, so will arguably have largely inherited the set of migration figures due out later this month.

By making this speech now she is, in effect, getting her pitch in first before those numbers are released.

Ms Braverman is also expected to use the speech to argue it is "not racist" to want to control Britain's borders and she is not embarrassed to say she loves Britain.

"It's not xenophobic to say that mass and rapid migration is unsustainable in terms of housing supply, service and community relations."

Senior ministers, Tory MPs and right-wing commentators will gather at the three-day event in London, including Michael Gove, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Lord Frost.

Ms Braverman will also say: "I reject the left's argument that it is hypocritical for someone from an ethnic minority to know these facts; to speak these truths."

Reports that Education Secretary Gillian Keegan had been involved in "watering down" proposals to restrict dependents of students have been rejected by a source at the Department of Education.

The source said Ms Keegan had vocally supported the "benefits of international students" and suggested others in government had done the same.

The Times has also reported that Ms Keegan blocked plans to reduce the time foreign students can stay in the UK after finishing their course.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
English Councils to Gain Power to Introduce Tourist Taxes by 2028
Kemi Badenoch Reshuffles Conservative Shadow Cabinet
Firefighters Make Progress Containing Major Wildfires in South Wales
John Lewis Partnership Reports £124 Million Loss
Study Says UK AI Data Centres Will Create Only a Quarter of Forecast Jobs
UK Government Considers Higher Industrial Water Prices Amid Supply Pressures
Andy Burnham Holds First Call With Donald Trump as UK Prime Minister
NHS Records Busiest Summer on Record as Heatwaves Drive Hospital Admissions
Home Secretary Orders Police Crackdown on Far-Right Anti-Migrant Vigilantes
UK Supreme Court Rules Northern Ireland Religious Education Curriculum Breaches Human Rights Standards
Markets Price in Four Bank of England Rate Rises by Next Summer
House of Commons Prepares Free Vote on Assisted Dying Bill
UK Government Bans Trade With Israeli Settlements in Occupied Territories
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as Artificial Intelligence Investment Supports Expansion
Andy Burnham Becomes UK Prime Minister After Keir Starmer Resigns
John Lewis Partnership Loss Widens to £124 Million
UK Government to Put White Working-Class Social Mobility at Centre of Equality Policy
McLaren Plans £450 Million Technology Investment Creating 1,000 UK Jobs
UK Chancellor Faces Calls for Wealth Taxes and Public Ownership in Autumn Budget
English Mayors to Gain Powers to Impose Uncapped Overnight Tourist Taxes
JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon Warns UK Government Against Bank Windfall Taxes
UK Air Traffic Control Outage Cancels More Than 2,000 Flights
UK Imposes Trade Ban on Israeli Settlements in the West Bank
UK Borrowing Costs Surge as Middle East Tensions Push Long-Term Gilt Yields to Highest Since 1998
Buckingham Palace Says Prince Harry and Meghan Will Not Resume Official Royal Duties
UK Treasury Faces Calls to Scrap £100,000 Childcare Support Threshold
Trades Union Congress Urges Labour Government to Rewrite Migration Policy
Riot Police Deployed After Anti-Migrant Protests Turn Violent in Portsmouth
UK Considers Replacing Some Disability Cash Payments With Direct Services
JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon Warns UK Chancellor Against Higher Banking Taxes
UK Announces New Sanctions Targeting Israeli Settlements in West Bank
Metropolitan Police Investigate Alleged Illegal Donations to Reform UK
UK Charges Wiltshire Man With Assisting Russian Intelligence
UK Orders Urgent Review After Air Traffic Failure Cancels More Than 2,000 Flights
Merz Rebukes AfD Expansion in Saxony-Anhalt
King Charles Confirms Prince Harry and Meghan Will Remain Private Citizens
Labour Selects Former Child Refugee for By-Election in Keir Starmer’s Former Seat
Foreign Private Equity Accelerates Takeovers of London-Listed Industrial Companies
NHS Maternity Care Faces Scrutiny Over Support for Mothers After Caesarean Births
BBC Warns Staff Strikes Are Likely Amid Job Cuts and Programme Cancellations
English Housing Affordability Improves to Best Level in More Than a Decade
UK Health Commission Proposes Framework for Wider AI Adoption Across NHS
Labour Faces Pressure for Wealth Tax Ahead of Autumn Budget
Metropolitan Police Open Criminal Investigation Into Alleged Foreign Donations to Reform UK
UK Police Deploy Riot Officers After Anti-Immigration Unrest in Portsmouth and Dover
UK Defends Sanctions on Israeli Settlements Despite Diplomatic Retaliation
UK Air Traffic Control Failure Cancels More Than 1,000 Flights and Disrupts 65,000 Passengers
Compass Urges £10 Million Wealth Tax and Public Ownership Ahead of UK Autumn Budget
UK Government’s Devolution Plans Face House of Lords Scrutiny
Maldives Seeks New Chagos Sovereignty Talks With UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham
×