[Denver]

THERESA MAY has promised again to slash migration to the tens of the thousands in the upcoming election manifesto.

David Cameron’s target, which was set in 2010, has yet to be met, but the PM still wants to aim to cut the numbers drastically.

At a campaign launch in Labour heartland Harrow this morning, she reiterated the need to have the aim.

“Let’s look at why we have the net migration target…

“It’s because of the impact it has on people – particularly on the lower end of the income scale.”

She said that higher levels of migration put pressure on our public services, like schools and the NHS.

“We want to bring down net migration – we believe that is the tens of thousands,” she vowed today.

“Once we leave the European Union we will have the opportunity to have control of our borders in the UK… that’s a part of the picture we haven’t been able to control before.

“Leaving the EU means that we won’t have free movement as we have had in the past…. Jeremy Corbyn wants to carry on with free movement as it always has been.”


Mrs May also urged voters to give her a mandate as big as Emmanuel Macron's in France last night.

He swept the floor in the final round last night with a whopping 62 per cent of the vote.

She said: "Yesterday a new French President was elected with a strong mandate...

"We need to make sure we have an equally strong mandate and an equally strong position."

She also urged her candidates and supporters not to take anything for granted in the run up to May 8.

Mrs May said they must "leave no stone unturned, no street un-walked down, no door un-knocked on.

"Every vote counts, because every person counts."

Theresa May says she wants a mandate for Brexit as big as Emmanuel Macron's
Yesterday Amber Rudd refused to say whether the pledge would be repeated in this election, sparking speculation it would be scrapped.

She dodged demands to say whether the target will feature in manifestos - which are due to be released in the next few weeks.

She said: “We will be coming forward with our manifesto soon and all we will be revealed in there. It’s not going to be identical to the last one.

“My personal view is that we need to continue to bring immigration down. I want to make sure we do it in a way that supports businesses."

And she added: “We’re ending free movement when we leave the EU so the situation from that time the manifesto has changed because we’re leaving the EU so it’s right that we look at it again.”

Culture Secretary Karen Bradley had also cast doubt on the target last month when she claimed it was "not about putting numbers on it" but ensuring Britain had access to skilled migration.

Amber Rudd yesterday refused to commit to the goal - leading to speculation it would be dropped
Top Tories have said in the past that the promise was "all but dead and buried" - but it appears they have changed their minds.

The last set of figures showed 273,000 still came to the UK last year.

Today Tory Nadhim Zahawi, who is seeking re-election as the MP for Stratford-Upon-Avon, said that the target must be on the table.

He told Radio 4: "We’ve got to bring net migration down to sustainable levels… that's the tens of thousands.

"Theresa May absolutely cares about making sure our immigration is sustainable for this country."

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/350596...ion-manifesto/

[Denver]

This needs to happen the country is already overfilled

[Cherie]

Yes they said this before in 2010 and 2015 and it still hasn't happened, it will now though with no free movement so its not really a promise she actually has to do much about, amazing she can keep this manifesto promise from 2 years ago but can't keep the no tax rises and triple lock promise.

[Cherie]

Originally Posted by Adam.

This needs to happen the country is already overfilled

Only some parts, plenty space in Scotland but no one wants to go there.

[Denver]

Originally Posted by Cherie

Only some parts, plenty space in Scotland but no one wants to go there.

We will send them all there before they leave the UK dont you worry

[Cherie]

Originally Posted by Adam.

We will send them all there before they leave the UK dont you worry

I'm not going to Scotland who am I kidding it is a beautiful country

[smudgie]

Good luck with that one.
I think that even with Brexit the numbers will not drop that low.
Firstly, we need workers from other countries.
Secondly, the figures from outside of Europe are high as well.

[Denver]

Originally Posted by smudgie

Good luck with that one.
I think that even with Brexit the numbers will not drop that low.
Firstly, we need workers from other countries.
Secondly, the figures from outside of Europe are high as well.

We only need skilled workers

[DemolitionRed]

Of course she did!!

Cameron used this as his key pledge in 2010 GE and again in 2014 GE and again in the 2016 referendum. Its a great vote catcher but like Cameron she's lying to you.

Cameron never got it to below 100,000, in fact its now well over record levels at 300,000. This was a key manifesto commitment and nobody, absolutely nobody has been held to account about why the Tories fell back on that promise. They’re now suggesting that they are putting their immigration policy over their economic policy. Shouldn’t we be lining immigration alongside our economic needs?... its all bollocks.

The conservatives have no intension of reducing immigration. Only months before the June election was announced Amber Rudd (Home Secretary) was making statements about not pulling up the drawbridge for the sake of industry. The Tories want immigration to thrive and grow.

[Tom4784]

A meaningless jangling of keys to distract the easily led from the actual issues.

By all means, vote based on something meaningless like immigration, just hope you don't get any long term illnesses or require medical attention in the future as the NHS WILL die under continued Tory control.

This is a vote for the future of public services, don't fool yourself into thinking it's anything else.

[Northern Monkey]

I always thought it seemed like an almost impossible figure to be honest.I think we'd be lucky to get sub 175k at best.

[Cherie]

Originally Posted by Northern Monkey

I always thought it seemed like an almost impossible figure to be honest.I think we'd be lucky to get sub 175k at best.

There will be a definite fall once lack of free movement kicks in

[jaxie]

Originally Posted by Cherie

There will be a definite fall once lack of free movement kicks in

Perhaps that's what they are counting on with this pledge.

[Cherie]

Originally Posted by jaxie

Perhaps that's what they are counting on with this pledge.

I think so tbh it's guaranteed to fall really maybe not as much as she is pledging but enough

[Tom4784]

Originally Posted by Cherie

There will be a definite fall once lack of free movement kicks in

IF it kicks in, Theresa May has trouble when it comes to sticking to her guns so her promises of a hard brexit aren't guaranteed especially given that the EU is playing hardball. I can see her folding and cutting a deal.

[joeysteele]

Unbelievable to hear this old chestnut again.

So she should be able to do something in a few years possibly but India for instance,for trade deals may well expect more to be allowed to the UK.
Unless she is going to restrict student numbers or remove student numbers from the statistics.

Suspicious as most is with Mrs May.

[JTM45]

Oh.........an article from the Sun!
No surprises there then.

If you stir up the Nationalism and xenophobia enough people might not notice the things May and her Tory chums are not making promises on.
What's it going to take to make people wake up and realise that the Conservatives haven't changed in the slightest. Given the opportunity they'll finish of under May's leadership what they started under Thatcher's!!!

[Northern Monkey]

Originally Posted by Cherie

There will be a definite fall once lack of free movement kicks in

Without a doubt.100k is extremely optimistic though given it's more than three times that now.Infact i'd guess non EU migration is more than that already.

[DemolitionRed]

Originally Posted by JTM45

Oh.........an article from the Sun!
No surprises there then.

If you stir up the Nationalism and xenophobia enough people might not notice the things May and her Tory chums are not making promises on.
What's it going to take to make people wake up and realise that the Conservatives haven't changed in the slightest. Given the opportunity they'll finish of under May's leadership what they started under Thatcher's!!!

You should post more often JTM

[arista]

3rd time lucky?

[joeysteele]

Originally Posted by arista

3rd time lucky?

Another u turn to come and change of policy more like.
People should know by now her word is meaningless.

[Cherie]

Originally Posted by Dezzy

IF it kicks in, Theresa May has trouble when it comes to sticking to her guns so her promises of a hard brexit aren't guaranteed especially given that the EU is playing hardball. I can see her folding and cutting a deal.

I wouldn't be surprised if she changes her stance to soft Brexit, The City banks must be pressuring her not to lose passporting rights for a start, once in power she has 5 years for people to get over the u turn

[Cherie]

This thread died on its arse 7 years in office and immigration still rising, no defence

[Jack_]

Originally Posted by Cherie

This thread died on its arse 7 years in office and immigration still rising, no defence

My housemate and I were talking politics a couple of weeks ago and he came up with what I thought was a great metaphor for the electorates perception of the Tories - that they have an 'invisibility cloak'.

That is, most Labour leaders with the exception of he-who-shall-not-be-named are berated, mocked and torn apart by a hostile mainstream media and their perceived failures in office are cited as criticisms even ten years after the fact. Meanwhile, the Tories can consistently miss targets like the one in the OP, be investigated for electoral fraud, make u-turns on manifesto pledges, run a campaign centred solely around (empty) message discipline and stage managed events, have their leaders consistently make a fuss about TV debates, oversee the creeping decimation of public services (including the flawed academisation of schools, something I and my community have experienced and criticised...yet the Tories took control of the council) and what's the response? "Labour bankrupts the country", "they spend too much", "Corbyn's a bit of a weak leader", "I don't think he'd press the button", "he's a terrorist sympathiser", "Brexit means Brexit", "strong and stable", "there's no money left", "he can't eat a bacon sandwich haha", "we're too full", the list goes on. Essentially, no matter what they do - and even if people criticise them for it - there's always an excuse, and/or they'll always get away with it. It's a ****ing joke.

[joeysteele]

Originally Posted by Jack_

My housemate and I were talking politics a couple of weeks ago and he came up with what I thought was a great metaphor for the electorates perception of the Tories - that they have an 'invisibility cloak'.

That is, most Labour leaders with the exception of he-who-shall-not-be-named are berated, mocked and torn apart by a hostile mainstream media and their perceived failures in office are cited as criticisms even ten years after the fact. Meanwhile, the Tories can consistently miss targets like the one in the OP, be investigated for electoral fraud, make u-turns on manifesto pledges, run a campaign centred solely around (empty) message discipline and stage managed events, have their leaders consistently make a fuss about TV debates, oversee the creeping decimation of public services (including the flawed academisation of schools, something I and my community have experienced and criticised...yet the Tories took control of the council) and what's the response? "Labour bankrupts the country", "they spend too much", "Corbyn's a bit of a weak leader", "I don't think he'd press the button", "he's a terrorist sympathiser", "Brexit means Brexit", "strong and stable", "there's no money left", "he can't eat a bacon sandwich haha", "we're too full", the list goes on. Essentially, no matter what they do - and even if people criticise them for it - there's always an excuse, and/or they'll always get away with it. It's a ****ing joke.

One of your absolute finest of posts.

All true and and a great read.
You are brilliant.