February 20th 2024
James Cleverly slammed for boasting about plans to deprive overseas care workers
The home secretary has been slated after he took to X to gloat about the new government scheme to ban overseas care workers from bringing their dependents to the UK.
Over the past few months the UK government have been laying out plans on how to stop immigrants from entering this country. For example, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced plans to push ahead with the Rwanda bill, despite the Supreme Court ruling it unlawful in November 2023.
Against this backdrop, yesterday, 19th February 2024, the government laid down an order in Parliament which outlined plans to stop immigrants, who are travelling to the UK to fill vacancies in the care sector, from bringing their loved ones with them. This is arguably one of the coldest and hypocritical decisions that have come from our current political party.
Commenting on the progression of the plan, home secretary James Cleverly wrote on X (formally known as Twitter): ‘This is just one part of our plan to deliver the biggest-ever cut in migration.’
This post has sparked anger to flood through the nation. Well-known LBC presenter James O’Brien said on his show today that the statement made him feel ‘ashamed to be British’.
‘You are casting your net from a sector that is crying out for staff, you’re casting it all around the world,’ the broadcaster said. ‘Trying to tempt people to come to your country to look after your elderly, sick and vulnerable and you’re telling them, ‘you can come and care for my family, but you won’t be allowed to care for your own, you’ll have to leave your children’.
In addition, O’Brien accused the government of treating the workers as ‘second class citizens’ and added, ‘I think that’s a fairly neat description of racism’.
Similar views have been echoed by members of the public on X. Over 10 thousand people have replied to Mr Clevery’s post and not one seems optimistic about the idea.
One post reads: ‘James, not only is this policy needlessly cruel…It will only further hamper any chance of properly staffing the dangerously understaffed care sector. Nasty & destructive all in one go. Are you proud of yourself?’
James, not only is this policy needlessly cruel…
It will only further hamper any chance of properly staffing the dangerously understaffed care sector
Nasty & destructive all in one go
Are you proud of yourself?
— Marina Purkiss (@MarinaPurkiss) February 20, 2024
Following this, one man’s post exclaims his regret for ever voting for the Conservative party. It reads: Awful idea. So [migrants] can look after our old and infirm but not bring their own families? Terrible politics I’m ashamed I ever voted conservative.’
Moreover, one woman’s tweet offers a reason why migrants should be able to bring over their families. She posted: ‘James this [plan] seems a tad short sighted. We need care workers and if we have a decent education system their dependents might end up being vital to our (dwindling) future work force, paying taxes and being great assets. Maybe I am missing something?’
Currently in the UK the social care workforce has been labelled as one of the lowest paid professions, with retail workers shown to be on a higher wage than them. According to research from Skills for Care, more than 80% of jobs in the wider economy pay more than the average independent care worker wage. With this in mind, overseas care workers would be moving to a country without anyone they love for minimum pay.
On top of this, one tweet in response to Mr Cleverly’s post highlights that ‘On any other work visa you are allowed a dependent so it’s unclear why it’s necessary or indeed fair to single this one out.
‘Why am I allowed to bring another taxpayer (my husband is my dependent) into the UK, but a care worker isn’t?’
Thank you for pointing this out, Gabby. On any other work visa you are allowed a dependant so it’s unclear why its necessary or indeed fair to single this one out.
Why am I allowed to bring another taxpayer (my husband is my dependant) into the UK, but a care worker isn’t?— Elma Smit (@Elmakapelma) February 19, 2024
Furthermore, SNP leader at Westminster, Stephen Flynn, described the scheme as ‘populist idiocy’ on X, as the leader wrote it would, ‘damage the care sector, the NHS and the economy.’
Image: Maria Teneva
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