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This Witch doesn't burn
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Media captionTheresa May: "A points-based system does not give you control over immigration"
Theresa May has rejected a points-based system for controlling EU migration, one of the key promises of Leave campaigners during the referendum. Speaking in China, the PM denied she had "gone soft" on migration and said people backed Brexit because they wanted "an element of control". A points-based model would not let the government control arrivals, she said. Ex-UKIP leader Nigel Farage said many people had voted Leave for the policy, backed by Boris Johnson among others. Live: MPs debate Brexit & second referendum petition What has actually happened since Brexit? Petition debate: Ignoring Brexit vote would be 'outrage' Why haven't we left the EU yet? Kuenssberg: May does things her own way Landale: Changing the language of Brexit? Mrs May is attending the G20 summit of world leaders in Hangzhou, her first international summit as prime minister. Although Mrs May supported remaining in the EU, she has said that the Brexit vote must be respected and suggested that curbs on the current free movement of EU citizens into the UK would be a red line in future negotiations with the EU. But speaking to journalists in China she dismissed Vote Leave's proposal of an Australian-style points system for deciding the number of skilled and unskilled workers who could come into the UK every year from the EU and beyond - with numbers to be determined by MPs. Rather than giving the government control, such a system would allow anybody into the UK if they met the criteria, she said, adding that curbs on student visas had been a more effective measure to reduce immigration. "I want a system where the government is able to decide who comes into the country - I think that's what the British people want. A points-based system means that people come in automatically if they just meet the criteria," she added. 'Vote for control' Her spokesman said: "The precise way in which the government will control the movement of EU nationals to Britain after Brexit is yet to be determined. However, as the PM has said many times in the past, a points-based system will not work and is not an option." On Sunday Mrs May suggested a points-based model was not a "silver bullet", adding: "You have to look at the whole range of issues, not just how you bring control through the rules you have for people coming in, but also making sure you are rooting out abuse in the system and dealing with people if they are discovered here illegally." Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES Mrs May also indicated that EU citizens may continue to have preferential rights to live and work in the UK after Brexit. She said people "wanted to see an ability to be able to control the movement of people from the European Union. And obviously that's what I say, not free movement as it has been in the past". During a series of interviews, Mrs May also declined to guarantee the UK would use money saved by leaving the EU to spend another £100m a week on the NHS or cut VAT on energy bills. Last edited by Cherie; 05-09-2016 at 07:57 PM. |
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