Two people have been sentenced for recruiting drivers to smuggle migrants in vans
Two men who dangerously smuggled 31 illegal migrants into the UK, including seven children and a pregnant woman, have been sentenced to a combined 14 years in prison.
Akan Brayan, of Nottingham, and Dylan Shwani, of Lincoln, were found guilty of recruiting drivers to hide migrants in hired vans containing various goods before smuggling them into the UK.
The defendants, both aged 37, were sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court yesterday (7 June, 2022) following a five-year investigation by the Home Office’s Criminal and Financial Investigations (CFI) unit.
They were each sentenced to seven years in prison.
Between 2016 and 2018, Brayan and Shwani, paid six drivers from the Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire areas to bring 31 Iraqi migrants, on six separate occasions, into the country.
Although the majority of the migrants were men, children as young as one and a pregnant woman were also found in the vans.
People were crammed into the vehicles among stacks of tyres, second-hand furniture and household goods being transported to the UK. Photos show in one of the vans a woman cradling a small child, with other children sat around her in the tightly enclosed space.
CFI teams found boxes of goods deliberately placed to hide people as well as paprika on the floor of one of the vans in an attempt to confuse sniffer dogs from detecting the migrants’ scents.
Minister for Justice and Tackling Illegal Migration, Tom Pursglove MP said: “These brazen attempts to smuggle illegal migrants, including very young children, into the UK in tiny, air-tight spaces with room to barely move, are despicable.
“Our expertly trained officers continue to work round the clock to prevent this illegal activity, which puts lives in extreme danger.
“The Nationality and Borders Act will make it easier to prosecute people smugglers and, by making it a criminal offence to arrive in the UK illegally, we can truly break the business models of these callous criminals.”
Ben Thomas, Deputy Director for Immigration Enforcement’s Criminal and Financial Investigations, said: “My team work tirelessly to bring to justice anyone attempting to smuggle people unlawfully into the country.
“These two evil men endangered the lives of people, including children, to line their pockets without a care in the world for their safety. I hope these sentencings send a powerful message that breaking the law and putting individuals’ lives at risk will not go unpunished.”
New analysis by the TUC reveals that plans by Boris Johnson’s government to cut 91,000 civil service jobs will be deeper than deepest point of George Osborne’s programme of cuts in the last decade.
The analysis looks at civil service staffing levels relative to the UK population. And it finds that if the proposed cuts go ahead the number of civil servants relative to UK people will fall below the lowest point while David Cameron was Prime Minster and Osborne Chancellor.
Year
Civil servants per 10,000 people
2010 (actual)
76
2016
59
2021
70
2025 (projected)
56
`
The reduction from 76 civil servants per 10,000 people in 2010 to 59 in 2016 was a 22% cut to civil service staff.
The reduction now being planned from 70 civil servants per 10,000 to 56 will be a 20% cut, but starting from a lower level, and therefore reaching a lower point.
The cuts under George Osborne set a record for the smallest civil service since the Second World War. If these cuts go ahead, they will break that record.
What do civil service staff do?
The UK has just over 475,000 full-time equivalent civil servants. They work in government departments and many government agencies. This includes:
56,000 staff in the Ministry of Defence, whose work has been intensified by Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine and the need to protect the UK from new security threats such as cyber sabotage.
64,000 staff in HMRC who administered the furlough scheme and who protect honest taxpayers and public services by preventing and detecting tax fraud.
96,000 staff in justice services, including courts, prisons, legal aid, fraud detection organised crime prevention, and victim support who protect the nation, bring criminals to justice and support victims.
84,000 work and pensions staff who make sure that low-income households, disabled people and pensioners get the essential support they need to be fed, housed, warm and safe.
33,000 home office staff who process passport claims, give safe haven to refugees from wars such as the conflict in Ukraine, and make sure businesses and services like the NHS have visas for the skilled workers they need.
Agencies that employ smaller numbers of civil servants, but that do vital work protecting the safety and interests of the public, including the Health and Safety Executive, Ofgem, Ofwat, Food Standards Agency and the Coastguard Agency.
Where will the cuts be made?
The government has not yet said where the cuts will be made, but ministers have been instructed to start identifying staff cuts of up to 40% in some departments immediately.
The TUC says that there are no easy places to make cuts without consequences that will harm UK families and businesses, and that some services may have to be stopped altogether.
There could be less resilience if a future pandemic takes place and less security against attacks on our allies or cyber-attacks on the UK by hostile countries like Russia.
There could be less safety for UK families from fraud and crime, unsafe public places and workplaces, and dangerous ingredients or hygiene standards in food production and services.
And there could be backlogs and delays to essential support like disability benefits and universal credit, or the issuing of vital documents like passports, driving licences and work visas.
TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:“They said we would build back better. But the Conservative government has changed its tune. Now it’s cut back harder – with cuts that go even deeper than George Osborne’s.
“It’s like Russian roulette. We don’t know which central government services will take the hit. But if these damaging plans don’t change, we know there will be harm to families and businesses that depend on services.
“Osborne’s cuts made the nation less resilient when we were hit by the pandemic, because he scrapped staff responsible for emergency planning and public health. The price was too high. We cannot make the same mistake again.”
Mike Clancy, General Secretary of Prospect, said:“Areas of the civil service and its agencies are already struggling with increased duties following Brexit and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We have seen imports going unchecked because of a lack of capacity and an increasing mismatch between the size of the armed forces and the vital civilian support staff who help them to operate effectively.
“Cuts of this magnitude will have a huge impact on institutional knowledge, the balance of experience within the workforce, overall capability in vital areas and ultimately will leave the country less secure. The government must think again.
“It is also unclear whether existing funded vacancies will be filled, further reducing capacity.”
FDA Assistant General Secretary Steven Littlewood:“We are still dealing with the consequences of the cuts leading up to 2016 in areas like the justice system, where there remains a historically large backlog of cases.
“It’s clear from the TUC’s research that in terms of providing services to the population, the government proposals actual go beyond where we were in 2016 and will lead to the lowest number of civil servants per head since World War Two.
“Given the new responsibilities the government has post-Brexit for areas like borders, customs and agriculture it is impossible to see how it can provide the services it currently is with the proposed job losses. The government needs to be honest about what services it would cut if it reduces numbers.”
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said:“Making cuts will only make things worse, make waiting lists longer for those seeking passports and driving licences, make telephone queues longer for those with tax enquiries.
“We shall fight for every job in the civil service. Not just on behalf of our members, but on behalf of every member of the public who relies on the services they provide.”
Prime Minister vows to ‘continue delivering on what matters to the British public’
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will bring together his Cabinet today and pledge to continue delivering on what matters to the British people – despite a significant revolt that saw 148 Tory MPs vote against him in a vote of confidence at Westminster last night.
He will call on Ministers to drive forward progress on the government’s priorities – easing financial pressures on families, making access to NHS care quicker and easier, making the streets safer and levelling up and uniting the country.
Speaking at Cabinet, he will set out his vision for the coming weeks, which will see government deliver new policy commitments that will continue to make a real difference to people’s lives. This will include measures to reduce childcare costs for parents and a renewed drive to get more people onto the housing ladder.
The Prime Minister will also thank dedicated NHS staff as he highlights the progress made by the biggest catch-up programme in the health service’s history.
The Health and Social Care Levy, announced by the government last year, promised £39 billion of investment over the next three years so the NHS has the funding it needs to recover from the pandemic, treat patients quickly and end spiralling social care costs.
This represents more funding for health and social care than any government has ever invested before.
This money is already making a difference, with the NHS confirming yesterday that 90 Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) are now open across the country and have delivered 1 million checks and tests on patients so far.
These centres are vital to clearing the Covid backlogs because by identifying and diagnosing problems as early as possible, patients can progress to treatment and care more quickly, which will reduce waiting lists.
Speaking ahead of Cabinet, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “This is a government that delivers on what the people of this country care about most.
“We have pledged £37 billion to support households with their finances, made our communities safer through hiring 13,500 more police officers, and tackled the Covid backlogs in the NHS by opening nearly 100 Community Diagnostic Centres so people can access care closer to home.
“Today, I pledge to continue delivering on these priorities. We are on the side of hard-working British people, and we are going to get on with the job.”
UK Ivory Act enforces a ‘near total’ ban on elephant ivory sales
UK’s Ivory Act comes into force to ensure protection for world’s elephants
The near total ban on elephant ivory sales is one of the toughest of its kind
Key manifesto commitment as part of a wider UK drive on international conservation
A near total ban on the import, export and dealing of items containing elephant ivory comes into force today (6th June), putting the UK at the forefront of global conservation efforts.
Elephants are commonly targeted for their ivory tusks and the demand for ivory is known to contribute to poaching, driving a decline in elephant populations. The ban will ensure vital protection for the world’s elephants by putting a stop to the UK trade in ivory.
The ban covers ivory items of all ages, not only those produced after a certain date, allowing only a narrowly defined set of exemptions. As a result, it will now be illegal to deal in ivory items unless they have been registered or have an exemption certificate.
The number of elephants free in the wild has declined by almost a third, with the savanna elephant population plummeting by around 30 percent – equal to 144,000 elephants – across 15 African countries between 2007 and 2014. It’s estimated around 20,000 are also still being slaughtered annually because of the global demand for ivory.
The UK’s world-leading Ivory Act is one of the toughest bans on elephant ivory sales in the world, with some of the strongest enforcement measures. Those found guilty of breaching the ban will face tough new penalties including an unlimited fine or up to five years in jail.
Animal Welfare Minister Lord Goldsmith said: “The world-leading Ivory Act coming into force represents a landmark moment in securing the survival of elephants across the globe for future generations.
“Thousands of elephants are unnecessarily and cruelly targeted for their ivory every year for financial gain. As one of the toughest bans of its kind, we are sending a clear message the commercial trade of elephant ivory is totally unacceptable.
“The UK has long led the way in conservation and our ban shows continued global leadership in doing all we can to protect the world’s most endangered species.”
Dr Mark Jones, Head of Policy at Born Free: “Born Free has long campaigned for an end to all trade in ivory, so we are pleased to finally welcome the UK’s Ivory Act.
“Its implementation must now be sufficiently robust to ensure only items that genuinely meet the exemption criteria can be traded in future, and that any transgressions are dealt with promptly and severely”.
International Fund for Animal Welfare UK director James Sawyer said: “Today is a good day for elephants. With as many as 20,000 elephants a year poached for ivory, this ban could not have come a moment too soon. IFAW believes ivory should only be valued on a live elephant and the overwhelming public support for banning the trade shows the majority of people feel the same.
“Legal ivory markets have long provided a smokescreen for illegal trade, putting endangered elephants in further jeopardy. Ivory trading in the UK has now rightly been consigned to the history books and everyone who has played a part in this important conservation victory should be proud.”
The ban coming into force will now close domestic ivory markets, representing a step forward in leading global efforts to protect the elephants after delays due unsuccessful legal challenges.
The UK Government is pushing for a global species abundance target to be agreed at this year’s Conference on Biological Diversity and has contributed £3.98 million through the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund to projects around the world that protect elephants from poaching and illegal trade to benefit wildlife, local communities, the economy and protect global security.
The Government launched the digital ivory service earlier this year allowing those who own ivory to register or apply for an exemption certificate. People will only need to register or certify items for the purposes of dealing in exempt items containing ivory. Those who own but are not planning to sell their ivory items do not need to register or certify them.
The Government is also considering extending the Ivory Act to other ivory-bearing species and will publish the response to the consultation later this year.
The UK Government announces new guidance to help businesses apply the Crown symbol to pint glasses, alongside a new consultation on units of measurement
Businesses helped to display the Crown symbol on pint glasses
Consultation launched on scrapping the EU ban on imperial measurements, benefitting businesses with greater choice when serving shoppers
Plans will restore “common sense” to the statute book and ditch ‘overbearing’ EU rules
Post-Brexit plans to return the Crown symbol to pint glasses and to remove the EU ban on imperial measures have been set out yesterday (Friday 3 June).
In a tribute to Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, new government guidance published today will help businesses apply the Crown symbol to pint glasses.
As long ago as 1698, British pint glasses intended for measuring and serving beer were marked with a crown stamp as a declaration that the glass, when filled to the brim or to a line measure, accurately measured a pint of beer.
The Crown stamp gave customers confidence that they were not being sold a short measure of beer. But the symbol was replaced by the EU-wide ‘CE’ marking’ in 2006 in order to conform with EU rules in the UK.
Alongside the Crown symbol guidance, a consultation has been published today on how to implement a change to the law on weights and measures, so that shoppers and business have greater choice over the way they buy and sell products.
The consultation will help the government consider, for example, allowing vegetables to be sold in pounds only, or in pounds with a less prominent metric equivalent, should businesses wish to do so. This will help inform the Government’s plans to legislate to give businesses greater choice in the units they use. There is no intention to require businesses to change their existing practices and so this will not place greater costs on businesses.
Today’s announcement is not just about pounds and ounces, but about where the UK’s laws are made. The ‘metric martyrs’ was a totemic case in establishing the supremacy of EU law. Now we have left the EU, the UK can take decisions in the best interests of British businesses and consumers.
Business Minister Paul Scully said: “This Platinum Jubilee weekend we’re raising a toast to Her Majesty The Queen’s health and service to this country. It’s a fitting tribute that we’re now helping businesses to restore the Crown symbol to pint glasses.
“While we think of our fruit and veg by the pound, the legacy of EU rules means we legally have to sell them by the kilo. Our consultation today will help shops to serve customers in the way their customers want.
“UK law currently requires metric units to be used, as the primary indication, for all trade purposes with only limited exceptions, reflecting rules from our time in the EU. Currently, imperial units are only authorised for use on their own in a small number of cases such sales of draught beer and cider. Now we have left the EU, the UK can act in the best interests of its businesses and consumers.”
A total of 3,747 displaced Ukrainians with a sponsor location in Scotland have arrived in the UK since the war in Ukraine began 100 days ago.
There have now been almost 10,901 visas issued with a Scottish sponsor via the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme, made up of more than 7,642 visas supplied through the Scottish Government’s Super Sponsor Scheme, and a further 3,259 visas issued for matches with an individual sponsor in Scotland,
The Scottish Government, local authorities and third sector partners have worked hard and at pace to provide a ‘Warm Scots Welcome’ to those displaced by the war in their country, providing a range of support including meals, accommodation, clothing, healthcare, trauma support and translation. Displaced people also have access to free healthcare and social security benefits.
A national matching service has also been established to help identify longer-term accommodation across the country, including the generous offers made by Scottish hosts as well as from local authority and housing association properties.
Marking 100 days since the Russian invasion on 24 February, the Minister with Special Responsibility for Refugees from Ukraine, Neil Gray, restated Scotland’s continuing determination to support the people of Ukraine.
Mr Gray said: “The horrors that have befallen the people of Ukraine since their country was invaded by Russia 100 days ago has shocked everyone in Scotland and around the world, and we stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
“As a nation, Scotland has responded and opened its heart and extended the hand of friendship offering support and services for thousands of displaced Ukrainians. I would like to thank the thousands of people who have generously opened their doors to Ukrainian families, volunteered and donated to causes.
“I would also like to thank Scotland’s local authorities and third sector organisations which have risen to the challenge we faced to mobilise a major effort in coordinating help, providing support and services, and to the private sector which has also offered assistance, in such a short space of time.
“Whilst we want peace and for people to be able to return to Ukraine when it is safe and when they wish to do so, Ukrainians who have settled here can be assured Scotland will be their home for as long as they want it, and they will be made welcome and treated with care, dignity and respect.
“The Scottish Government and our partners are here to provide support for as long as it takes and we are sure the people of Scotland feel the same.”
One Scottish Government-funded project that has been helping displaced people is the Edinburgh Community Food project. The organisation normally works to ensure people have access to an affordable, healthy diet and that food is used as a vehicle to promote wellbeing and social cohesion.
However, it turned its attentions to the Ukraine crisis, and has been supporting the Edinburgh Welcome Hub by providing fresh and healthy foods to help families from Ukraine cook and eat meals together.
Brenda Black, Chief Executive Officer of Edinburgh Community Food, said: “Ukrainian people have fled from a country where, before the invasion, grains and fresh vegetables were plentiful and have always been everyday diet staples.
“Edinburgh Community Food is welcoming people by providing quality fresh, healthy familiar foods to help families cook and eat meals together, as well as connecting and nurturing people with our traditional Scottish produce and hospitality when they may feel overwhelmed by trauma.
“The process of preparing, engaging, and sharing food can provide comfort and happier memories of home.
“Since the first arrivals from Ukraine, we have been working together to support third sector partners and businesses to offer people access to services and opportunities in Edinburgh and across the rest of the country. “
Truss: Ukraine has shown the world it will prevail in its battle for freedom
After 100 days of Putin’s war, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said we must be ‘steadfast’ in our support for Ukraine.
The UK’s steadfast support for Ukraine will never waver, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said yesterday.
For 100 days Putin’s barbaric and unprovoked war has brought death and destruction to Ukraine on a scale not seen in Europe since WW2, but he has failed to make the headway he expected in the face of heroic resistance.
Tens of thousands have died and more than 6.6 million refugees have fled the country. While 8 million Ukrainians are internally displaced, almost 13 million are stranded in conflict zones and almost 16 million require humanitarian support.
Russia’s theft of grain and its destruction and blockading of key ports has also significantly exacerbated one of the most severe food crises in recent history, which now threatens many countries and is putting the world’s most vulnerable at risk.
The Foreign Secretary said this grim anniversary was a day to honour the resolve of the Ukrainian people, who have shown Putin cannot win as long as they receive the international support they need and deserve.
The Foreign Secretary said the UK would remain steadfast in its support to ensure Ukraine wins its battle for self-determination and Russian forces withdraw.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said yesterday: “Today marks 100 dark days since Putin launched his unjustified and illegal war against Ukraine. He expected the invasion to be over in days, but significantly underestimated the resolve of brave Ukrainians, who have valiantly defended their country.
“Putin’s invasion has brought death and destruction on a scale not seen in Europe since WW2. This war has huge ramifications for global peace, prosperity and food security. It matters to us all.
“Today is a moment to pay our respects to the thousands of innocent civilians murdered since the invasion, and reaffirm our steadfast support for Ukraine’s heroic defence, to ensure they succeed and Putin fails.”
Since Putin started massing his forces on Ukraine’s borders the UK has played a vital role galvanising and leading the international response:
Sanctions: Together with our allies, we continue to impose crippling economic sanctions, cutting off funding for Putin’s war machine. The UK has sanctioned over 1,000 individuals and 100 entities, including oligarchs with a net worth of more £117 billion. We have targeted Russian trade, with import tariffs covering £1.4 billion worth of goods. Russia’s economy is set to take a £256 billion hit, with its GDP expected to shrink up to 15 per cent this year – the deepest recession since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Military support: We were among the first to provide military support to Ukraine, including 10,000 missiles and training more 22,000 army members, helping to halt Putin’s barbaric onslaught.
Humanitarian aid: We are a leading humanitarian donor, providing £220 million of aid. We have sent more than 11 million medical items to Ukraine, and are donating 42 ambulances, saving thousands of lives.
International engagement: The UK has led international efforts to support Ukraine’s objectives, working with the EU, NATO and likeminded allies. The UK, Ukraine and 44 other countries launched an OSCE mission to investigate Russia’s violations of human rights & international humanitarian law. We are making sure Russia is held to account for war crimes and, providing an additional £1 million to the ICC to support their investigations into war crimes and, with the US and the EU, creating the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group (ACA).
Exposing Putin’s lies: We are countering the Kremlin’s blizzard of lies and disinformation by telling the truth about Putin’s war of aggression. We will work with our allies on the urgent need to protect other European countries that are not members of NATO and that could become targets of the Kremlin playbook of subversion and aggression.
UK GOVERNMENT ‘POURING FUEL ON THE FIRE’ AS JACKDAW FIELD APPROVED
Environmental campaigners have slammed the UK Government’s approval of Shell’s plans to develop the Jackdaw gas field as ignoring climate science and entrenching reliance on gas despite the energy price crisis and need to move away from fossil fuels.
The proposal for the Jackdaw field, which holds gas with an unusually high CO2 content, was previously rejected by the environmental regulator on climate grounds, however Shell resubmitted the application earlier this year with only minimal changes.
In 2020, the International Energy Agency said that there should be “no new oil and gas fields approved for development” anywhere in the world to keep within the 1.5C limit of dangerous climate warming. UCL research found that new oil and gas licences were incompatible with the UK’s international climate commitments, while peer-reviewed analysis by Oil Change International has found that 40% of existing developed reserves of fossil fuels cannot be extracted to have a 50% chance of staying within 1.5C.
Activists organised a protest outside the UK Government building in Edinburgh yesterday to demand the UK Government reverses its decision to approve Shell’s Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea. Over 3,600 people signed a petition by Friends of the Earth Scotland, Greenpeace and Uplift opposing the field.
Mary Church, head of campaigns at Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: “The decision to approve the Jackdaw gas field exposes Boris Johnson’s climate leadership rhetoric at COP26 last year as pure greenwash. The UK Government is pouring fuel on the fire of the social and climate crises by deepening our reliance on fossil fuels.
“Approving the Jackdaw field will do nothing to help people who face higher bills in the UK or to tackle the climate crisis. The only people who benefit are executives and shareholders at Shell who are hellbent on destroying the planet for their own profit.
“The UK Government must reverse this approval, stop issuing any new fossil fuel licences and start planning for a managed phase-out of production, with a just transition for workers and communities. It must also do much more to alleviate the suffering of households as the energy price crisis bites, and urgently ramp up retrofits to keep homes warm while helping end reliance on expensive gas.”
Maciej Walczuk, an activist with Stop Jackdaw, said: “The UK Government is using people’s rising bills as an excuse to allow Shell to continue profiteering from the climate crisis.
“We need investments into insulation and a planned transition away from fossil fuels to tackle the climate crisis, not to increase our dependence on them.”
The crucial 1.5C climate limit was enshrined in the Paris Agreement. A growing consensus is emerging on the future of fossil fuels, with the UN General Secretary describing their expansion as ‘economic and moral madness’ and the IEA and UKCCC calling for production to be limited.
Inverleith Green councillor Julie Bandel attended the rally. She tweeted: “Quick lunchtime rally to protest the absolute madness that is approving a new oil field in the middle of a climate crisis and giving Shell a tax rebate for it.
“Scotland desperately needs a just transition to protect livelihoods and the planet.”
The TUC has demanded that hard-won workers’ rights will be protected after reports emerged suggesting that Jacob Rees-Mogg is drawing up a list comprising over 1,000 EU-derived regulations to be ripped up.
The TUC says it received a letter from the business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng in February 2022 which promised “there is no government plan to reduce workers rights”, after the union body had called for guarantees following the start of a review into EU-retained law.
The union body is calling for fresh assurance in the wake of new reports.
The TUC previously commissioned the legal help of Michael Ford QC to examine the rights at risk post-Brexit, including those strengthened by EU law. The rights include, among others:
Holiday pay
Equal pay for men and women
Parental leave
Equal treatment for part-time workers
These rights provide an essential protection against the erosion of working conditions, which are already under threat. Women living in North East Somerset currently earn an average of just 56.6% of the earnings of their male counterparts; the TUC South West region warns that without essential EU legislation, conditions such as these could erode even further, becoming harder to rectify.
The reports suggest that the bill will “fast-track” repealing regulations. The TUC says this could see some essential rights removed or watered down without proper parliamentary scrutiny.
The prime minister has promised to protect and enhance workers’ rights post-Brexit on numerous occasions.
In addition to the threat to “essential” workplace rights, the TUC points to the EU Commission’s proposals to strengthen the rights of platform workers, which shows how the UK is already at risk of falling behind our European counterparts on workers’ rights a year into Brexit.
TUC South West Regional Secretary Nigel Costley said: “Workers in North East Somerset, as across the UK, will feel the hit if Mr. Rees-Mogg is allowed to treat essential workplace protections as so-called ‘burdens of regulation’.
“Protections such as holiday entitlement, parental leave, equal pay, and equal treatment for part-time workers are essential to our wellbeing and quality of life. These are the very rights which are protected by retained EU law.
“This reckless, sweeping proposal treats all EU legislation with one brush, and if allowed to go ahead without scrutiny would be a shameful dismissal of conditions that workers depend on. We would hope Rees-Mogg wouldn’t stoop to this level of contempt for working people, especially those in his own constituency.
“This government has promised to ‘protect and enhance’ workers’ rights after Brexit; it is time that they make good on those promises.”
Since report publication in July 2018, the immigration system in the UK has undergone significant reforms, in addition to leaving the European Union, the covid-19 pandemic had a major impact on immigration.
The Scottish Secretary points out in his response that non-EEA work visa applications are back to pre-pandemic levels, and EEA work visas have been increasing since the end of EU free movement.
At the time of publishing its report – July 2018 – the Committee raised concern that the points-based immigration system was complicated and bureaucratic.
In the Scottish Secretary’s response, he states that reforms are ongoing to streamline and simplify the system. He also offers an update on the latest quarterly statistics on EU immigration, showing that as of 31 December 2021, more than six million EU nationals and their families have been granted status under the EU Settlement Scheme, of which nearly 300,000 are in Scotland.
Scottish Affairs Committee Chair, Pete Wishart MP, said: “I am pleased that our Committee has finally received the Government’s response to the predecessor Committee’s report on immigration.
“However, such a delayed response has made it almost impossible for the Committee to track and scrutinise the impact immigration reforms are having on the people of Scotland.
“The predecessor Committee, which I chaired, would no doubt be disappointed that the Government response failed to address recommendations that could have benefited Scotland.
“This includes helping to tailor the immigration system to the needs of Scotland, such as through a Scotland specific shortage occupation list.”
