The immigration legislation is short-sighted

• IN the midst of a global pandemic, it’s concerning to see the home secretary rush through major immigration legislation lacking in detail.

The Covid-19 outbreak has opened-up a long-overdue debate over how we define “unskilled work”.

The government’s decision to introduce a points system, but not specifically address this issue, is short-sighted and could put key services at risk.

The home secretary appears to confuse low-pay with low-skill; nothing could be further from the truth for our highly-skilled, but definitely under-paid, care staff.

The prime minister recently issued a call to “build, build, build”, but these new immigration proposals also leave us uncertain about whether we will be able to fill the gaps in our construction workforce.

The exclusion of care workers from the new health and social care visa scheme, despite their heroic efforts throughout the Covid-19 outbreak, is another irresponsible move and blow to care homes, when there are thousands of vacancies in the workforce.

We were able to rebuild our country in the wake of World War II because of the wide-ranging contributions of those that came here from around the world.

As we face up to a deep recession and further isolation from our closest neighbours, we must keep this crucial lesson from recent history in mind.

JENNETTE ARNOLD AM
Labour, Hackney, Islington & Waltham Forest