Andrea Leadsom’s fruit picking hopes and Tory conference comments in full

ANDREA Leadsom has sparked bafflement in some quarters over her comments saying she hoped Brits would take over from migrants as fruit pickers.

The Environment Secretary also said she hoped migrants would stay but questioned why agricultural wages were so low saying more young people should take up the roles.

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She also insisted that Brexit would not result in the mass repeal of environmental legislation saying much of it would have been introduced by Britain anyway.

Asked about the impact tougher immigration controls would have on food and farming, which depends heavily on migrants, she said: “There are two sorts of employee who have migrated to this country. One are permanent employees who have come here from the EU or from elsewhere in the world.

“As has been made very clear, it is not Theresa May's intention to deport anyone unless our European colleagues announce their intention to do likewise.

“So, she is absolutely intending that those people who come here and do a great job in our food and farming sector continue to do that.

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“The other side of it is the seasonal workers. Of course, before we joined the EU we had a very good programme of seasonal workers' licences and it is not beyond the wit of man to have such a thing in future.”

Asked if it was possible for Britons could do the jobs instead, she said: "Of course it is, that is a whole different issue.

"We could get British people doing those jobs and that tempts me to stray into the whole issue of why wages aren't higher and so on.

"My absolute hope is that with more apprenticeships, with more young people being encouraged to engage with countryside matters, that actually the concept of a career in food production is going to be much more appealing going forward."

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