Plan to curb EU migration sparks new Brexit turmoil

The 82-page government paper, obtained by The Guardian, suggests that new immigration arrangements would be introduced immediately at the point the UK finally leaves the EU at the end of a transition period lasting at least two years.

Departure from the EU will mean "the end of rights-based, unconditional free movement", with the Government adopting powers to take "a more selective approach" to which migrants will be allowed to work and settle in the UK.

It is understood that the document - marked "Official Sensitive" - is a draft version of an upcoming White Paper which has been circulated among senior officials and politicians but has not been agreed by ministers.

"The Government will take a view on the economic and social needs of the country as regards EU migration, rather than leaving this decision entirely to those wishing to come here and employers," it states.

This could involve requiring EU nationals to seek permission before taking up a job, making employers recruit locally first or restrict access to lower-skilled occupations which are not experiencing staffing shortages, the document suggests.

The Guardian quoted the document as saying: "Put plainly, this means that, to be considered valuable to the country as a whole, immigration should benefit not just the migrants themselves but also make existing residents better off."

The leak drew fierce criticism from opposition parties ahead of crunch Commons votes on the EU (Withdrawal) Bill, which incorporates European law into British law, next Monday.

And the head of the civil service between 2012 to 2014, Lord Kerslake, delivered a withering assessment of Prime Minister Theresa May's view that no Brexit deal would be better than a bad one.

He told BBC Newsnight: "It will be an utter and complete disaster for this country.

"We need to be very, very frank about this - there isn't a no-deal option that would be good for this country."

Asked if the civil service was able to deliver Brexit, Lord Kerslake said: "The challenge here, and I'll be very direct about this, is, from my perspective, there is no upside here, this is about damage limitation.

"And we are working in a situation where policy has not been properly settled."

The leaked paper makes clear that the Government's handling of post-Brexit migration will continue to be driven by the aim of reducing net immigration to "sustainable" levels, previously defined by the PM as below 100,000 a year.

Wherever possible, UK employers should "look to meet their labour needs from resident labour", it suggests.

Among proposals floated to cut numbers of lower-skilled migrants are a restriction to two years' residency, compared with work permits for a longer period of three to five years for those in high-skilled occupations.

It is not envisaged that EU citizens would be required to apply for permission to visit the UK for tourism, family visits and short business trips or be given stamps in their passports on arrival.

But they will have to show passports, rather than using a national identity card to enter the country.

Under the document's proposals, those on longer stays would have to register with the authorities and may be required to provide fingerprints and proof of employment, self-sufficiency or study status.

The right to bring family members into the country could be tightened to only the most direct relatives like partners, spouses and children, and there could be an unspecified "income threshold" for EU citizens to show they can support themselves while in the UK.

A government spokesman said: "We do not comment on leaked draft documents.

"We will be setting out our initial proposals for a new immigration system which takes back control of the UK's borders later in the autumn."

But Labour MP Yvette Cooper, chairwoman of the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee, said the document seemed to contradict the Home Secretary's decision just over a month ago to ask the Migration Advisory Committee to provide all the evidence to underpin a new immigration policy.

The SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford called the leaked proposals "a disgrace" and said the policies could break up families.

Interim Ukip leader Steve Crowther said the paper "takes the right line", but Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas said: "The Government's post-Brexit immigration crackdown isn't just economically illiterate, it's plainly cruel too."

TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said: "These plans would create an underground economy, encouraging bad bosses to exploit migrants and undercut decent employers offering good jobs."

Chai Patel of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants said the leak suggests the Government plans to "extend its current poor and unfair treatment of non-EU immigrants to European citizens post-Brexit."

AP