Sajid Javid claims any post-Brexit immigration clampdown must not make it ‘more difficult’ for foreign builders in the UK
Communities Secretary says construction industry must not be hindered by 'work visas' in blow for British brickies
ANY post-Brexit clamp down on immigration must not make it “more difficult” for foreign builders in the UK, Tory minister Sajid Javid declared last night.
The Secretary of State for Communities said that helping the construction industry — which is propped up 250,000 non-British workers — must not be hindered by “work visas”.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Tory conference, Mr Javid told the Financial Times that he could not predict “what the future might look like in terms of work visas and foreign workers”.
But added: “Whether it’s construction or any other sector, we don’t want to make it any more difficult for those industries than it is.”
He claimed: “Wherever we end up, the government is determined to get a good deal for Britain.”
But he also warned the sector must have “whatever it needs to reach my ambition” of building one million homes by 2020 — which he said was his “number one priority”.
The work permit controls are the brainchild Home Secretary Amber Rudd who said last month the system “certainly has value” as a way of bringing down EU migration.
But the government has yet to make a final decision on how immigration will be brought down.
Mr Javid will fire the starting gun a house building revolution at this weekend’s Tory conference in Birmingham.
RELATED STORIES
In a marked shift from David Cameron’s government policy to help people get on the housing ladder, Mr Javid will claim: “The starting point for me is about the total supply of housing.”
He added: “It cannot just be helping people with a deposit or helping them with their mortgage, it has to be a much bigger increase in overall volume and it has to be sustainable, it cannot be a sudden burst for one year.”
Last night the local government chief vowed to crack down on his own Conservative controlled councils that are blocking house building — warning he would “be very tough”.
In his Birmingham conference speech on Monday Mr Javid will declare war on NIMBYs — “Not In Our Back Yard” campaigners — who block much needed new houses near their own.
He has also pledged to name and shame those areas that are holding Britain’s house building back.
He warned: “Soon we will be at a point where we will be able to judge councils across the board and see if they have met those rules and if they don’t they can expect us to be very tough on them.”
