Iain Dale: It was never fair that only people from EU should have free access to UK

11 November 2022, 12:05

'Why should people from the EU have any more of a right to come to this country.'

Iain Dale expressed his belief in the "fair" post-Brexit immigration system, opposing the notion that those from the EU "have more of a right to come here" than anybody else.

It comes after Brexiteer and Conservative peer, Lord Wolfson, claimed the UK's current immigration policy was crippling economic growth.

The CEO of Next said: "I think in respect of immigration, it's definitely not the Brexit that I wanted, or indeed, many of people who voted Brexit wanted."

During his show on Thursday, Iain Dale identified that net migration into the UK from the EU has “been positive”.

He explained: “More people from the EU have come here over the past six years, each year, than have left.”

“So it’s not as if people haven’t been able to come”, he added.

READ MORE: James O'Brien reacts as Brexiteer Tory peer calls for more overseas workers

Iain then identified that more people have also come from outside the EU, commenting that this “was part of the objective”.

“Because, to my mind, it was never fair that only people from the EU should have free access to this country.”

He continued: “I wanted there to be a level playing field - so if you come from Romania or Italy, you have exactly the same chances of coming here as if you do from Bangladesh or China.”

“You are judged fairly on a points system.

“Now I don’t see how anyone can say that that isn’t a fair system - why should people from the EU have more of a right to come here than anybody from the rest of the world?”

Amid workforce shortages following the pandemic, issues around immigration have divided parliament in recent weeks, with Shadow Leader Keir Starmer claiming the UK is recruiting “too many” workers from overseas.