𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Rachel Reeves’ plan to give firms £5,000 for every “high-skilled” foreign worker they hire has been slammed as a “direct attack” on Brits. The scheme will award “high-growth” British companies up to £25,000 in workers’ visa costs and their dependants. The plan, which will include specialist hires in the technology and digital, life sciences and clean energy sectors, will also speed through sponsor licence applications for international businesses.

Robert Bates, Research Director at the Centre for Migration Control, told the Express: “There is no legitimate reason for the government to be subsidising firms to import foreign workers. The Chancellor clearly has no interest in improving the life chances of the British people. This is a direct attack on workers by Labour and the Chancellor that will only heighten the crisis of youth unemployment.

“The government should be shutting down harmful visa routes, whilst making it easier and cheaper for businesses to hire Brits.

“This will lock Brits out of their own domestic labour market whilst throwing it open to the world.”

Ms Reeves and Peter Kyle, the Business Secretary, said the money to subsidise the hiring of overseas workers would come alongside a new “concierge service” for firms, The Telegraph reported. They added that they aimed to “nurture the UK’s first trillion-dollar firm”.

The Chancellor and Mr Kyle wrote: “The new concierge service, offering tiered support, will accelerate the most promising scale-ups and build a strong pipeline of high-growth firms ready to break through.

“It will ensure that the current support for business is joined up and delivering targeted support to tackle issues facing promising firms in the country.”

The statement added: “We are backing the UK’s most ambitious firms to start, scale, and stay here – with the finance, talent and support they need to succeed.

“Working in partnership with industry, we are making sure Britain is the best place in the world not just to start a business, but to grow a world-leading one.”