There are no plans for Labour to reverse government policy and let health and care workers bring foreign dependants into Britain, the party’s health spokesman has said.
Foreign staff had ‘built the NHS over generations’ and the UK was ‘lucky to have them’ said Wes Streeting – but the service had developed an ‘over-reliance’ on international students and overseas workers.
Ministers brought in the ban on dependants in March to crack down on high levels of legal migration.
They hailed the policy’s impact after it emerged health and care worker visa applications have fallen by 76 per cent this year.
At a campaign event in Worcester on Wednesday, Mr Streeting told reporters that Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper had ‘no plans’ to change the rules.
At a campaign event in Worcester on Wednesday, Mr Streeting told reporters that Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper had ‘no plans’ to change the rules on letting health and care workers bring foreign dependants into Britain
Ministers in Rishi Sunak’s government brought in the ban on dependants in March to crack down on high levels of legal migration
He also said the party planned to ‘reduce our reliance’ on foreign staff, during what he called a ‘global shortage’ of talent, and ruled out recruiting workers from countries on the World Health Organisation’s ‘red list’ such as Bangladesh and Nigeria.
‘We are still turning away thousands of straight-A students from studying medicine each year. That’s something we’ve got to remedy,’ he added.
‘I want to make sure that by developing our home-grown talent, I help Yvette to reduce net migration.’
Matt Vickers, deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, said: ‘It seems that Wes Streeting is taking a leaf straight out of Rachel Reeves’ playbook and is copy and pasting Tory policies.’