Cable widens immigration divide
Wednesday, 28 July 2010 12:00 AM
Britain's introduction of an immigration cap is the subject of an ongoing debate within the coalition government, Vince Cable has said.
The Liberal Democrat business secretary's comments in India, where business figures and officials have voiced concern about the artificially-imposed upper limit to non-EU immigration, are the first high-profile admission that the government is divided on the issue.
"There clearly is a debate taking place," the Evening Standard newspaper quoted Dr Cable as saying.
"It's a grown-up debate about how these rules should be administered and I have a perspective, which I bring to India as the business secretary and president of the Board of Trade, wanting to encourage trade and inward investment.
"For that reason I am making very clear the perspective I would like to bring to bear on this. It's not disagreement... there is no conflict."
Prime minister David Cameron was forced to defend the policy as he downplayed the influence of the Liberal Democrats within the government.
"It is perfectly legitimate for the business secretary to argue for the advantages of free and open markets - and that's what Vince does," he told the Today programme.
"But we decide these things in a Cabinet, in a reasonable and sensible way."
A temporary limit on non-EU migrants has already been introduced and will be replaced by a permanent cap from next year. A consultation on the issue is now open and will be completed by September.
"I want to see and the government wants to see the level of net immigration into the UK come down to the tens of thousands rather than the hundreds of thousands it has been in recent years," the prime minister added.
"And one of the advantages that will bring is that immigration will cease to be such a major political issue as it is today."
Dr Cable had argued it was possible to resolve the public's concerns about whether Britain has an effective system of immigration control with the need for flexibility, allowing highly-skilled business individuals to move around.
"I don't see why this should be an insoluble problem," he insisted.
The business secretary's comments are the latest manifestation of a growing willingness by the Liberal Democrats to openly disagree with the coalition government's policy.
Yesterday deputy prime minister Nick Clegg repeated his claim that the Iraq war was illegal - although he was forced to clarify that the view was his "personal opinion".
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