British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is allegedly planning to impose restrictions on low-skilled migrants moving to the United Kingdom, The Telegraph reported, a move, which could anger British companies and set the government on a collision course with businesses. The newspaper reported that Downing Street will remove a temporary extension for current rules that companies asked for and will effectively fast-track Boris Johnson's post-Brexit immigration system.
The Telegraph reported that Home Secretary Priti Patel would present the proposals to the cabinet of ministers. "We need to deliver change and businesses need to be prepared for uncontrolled migration of low skilled workers to end this year”, a government source told the newspaper.
UK companies earlier insisted that more time was needed to prepare for the government-proposed immigration system. The development comes as Sajid Javid, Chancellor of the Exchequer told UK businesses on 18 January that the Treasury wouldn’t help manufacturing sectors – aerospace, the car industry, and pharmaceuticals – if they favour alignment with EU rules, telling them to drop their demands for the United Kingdom to stay close to the European Union after Brexit. The chancellor stressed that firms had three years to prepare for Britain’s withdrawal from the bloc.
"There will not be alignment, we will not be a rule taker, we will not be in the single market and we will not be in the customs union – and we will do this by the end of the year", he told the Financial Times.
At the same time, Mr Javid has admitted that some businesses would benefit from Brexit, but stressed that the UK’s economy would continue to be one of the most successful in the world. Companies, however, say that non-alignment with Brussels will create trade barriers for those who import and export products and hence prices will rise.
