MARCH | OPINION
“I’m confident that the Immigration Bill
seeks to achieve the right things and
recognises the needs of business.”
by the combined armies of those who want
something more radical.
I wasn’t the only MP to note that when
Jacob Rees-Mogg and Chuka Umunna are
both in the same voting lobby opposing the
Prime Minister’s deal, they cannot both end
up getting what they want.
I continue to hope that they will see that
this somewhat kamikaze ‘all or nothing’
approach is guaranteed to end in disaster
for half of them, even if it ends in absolute
triumph for the rest.
So whilst I can’t wave the certainty wand
there are, perhaps, some useful things that
have been announced by the Government
that will help the events industry to address
one of the concerns that you’ve raised with
me most often; workforce.
The Government’s new immigration
policy has recognised that the hospitality,
leisure and tourism sectors rely on a
dynamic labour market to be able to meet
short-term staffing needs. Provision has
been made to ensure that our visa system
and preferential terms for EU citizens will
allow us to continue to meet that demand
after Brexit.
Inevitably, there will be a little more
friction as we get to grips with a new system
but the Bill, in providing the legal framework
for our future immigration system, will
ensure the UK continues to flourish outside
the EU. For the events industry some
adjustment will be needed but I’m confident
that the Immigration Bill seeks to achieve
the right things and recognises the needs of
business.
The government has made clear its belief
that there should be flexibility for short-term
workers with a temporary visa route open to
workers at any skill level.
Consultations are currently underway
but include many positive proposals, such as
plans to lower the qualification requirement
for ‘tier 2’ visas to include ‘intermediate
skilled’ jobs as well as plans to extend the
youth mobility scheme visa currently open
to those aged 18-30 in countries including
Australia and Canada.
This will give employers and businesses
the reassurance that they can access the
skills and talent they need whilst ensuring
that immigration is considered alongside
investment to improve the productivity and
skills of the UK workforce.
I could go on to write about supply chains
and market access but the reality is that
this is at the very nub of the Brexit debate
in Parliament. The Prime Minister’s deal
ensures both which is why business has
been so supportive. However Parliament
has rejected that deal and has not yet found
any common ground around which to now
coalesce.
I have no doubt that you’ll collectively find
this very frustrating but, bluntly, there is no
way of avoiding the uncertainty.
Parliament must do its thing and work
out what it wants to do before we can all go
forward with certainty. As feverish as the
debate is now, I’m afraid there’s still much
more to come.
event w i f i . com
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