Britons Want ‘Smarter Border Control Without Blanket Caps on Migrants’

A poll by The Independent has indicated broad support for a more targeted approach to UK immigration, suggesting the majority of Britons desire smarter border control and the removal of blanket caps on migrants.

The survey by the media behemoth also indicated widespread approval for Home Secretary Sajid Javid’s attempts to move incoming NHS professionals out of the cap system for skilled worker visas.

Medical professionals were not the only ones the public wanted to see entering the country. A majority of those questioned were ready to accept increasing the number of all types of skilled workers coming in or – more radically – scrapping the cap completely.

More interestingly still, the poll indicated that almost half of Britons would support a move to abolish the aim of reducing annual net migration to just 100,000.

Following the results of this study, The Independent has partnered with Open Britain to run a joint campaign to drop the target. The intention of those involved is to replace the stated goal of minimising migration and replace it with a more constructive policy instead.

The poll comes hot on the heels of Mr Javid and health secretary Jeremy Hunt’s attempts to remove medical professionals from the cap system, following complaints from hospital trusts that this was preventing them from bringing in the number of staff necessary to run the NHS – a problem exacerbated by the shortage of EU nurses entering the country following Brexit.

The study indicated that of the 1,500 people surveyed, 58 per cent backed the cabinet ministers’ aims, compared to only 22 per cent of respondents who opposed it.

Those questioned also demonstrated a lack of support for the broader cap system, which was brought in by the now-prime minister while she was still home secretary. A notable 16 percent stated this should be disposed of altogether, whilst an additional 31 percent argued that it should be raised in order to allow more skilled workers entry into the UK.

The results of the poll come at a critical time for Britain’s immigration policy, with ministers currently in the process of developing a white paper setting out exactly how border control will work in a post-Brexit world.