The mastermind of Vote Leave’s referendum-winning tactics has sketched out a reasonable and achievable plan for a British immigration system after Brexit.
Dominic Cummings, a behind-the-scenes operator who coined the “Take Back Control” slogan and organised Vote Leave’s campaign, listed a 14-part plan on his Twitter feed this afternoon.
It came as the Government and opposition continued to tie itself in knots over reconciling its relationship with the EU single market with public desire for control over immigration.
Cummings mixes elements of the “hard Brexit” and “soft Brexit” camp. He advocates for a total break from EU free movement rules – and warns against any binding treaties that would tie the UK into unlimited movement.
He also says the government should ditch its “tens of thousands” pledge, and throw open the gates to high-skilled immigrants with PhDs and scientific skills, while cutting back significantly on low-skilled workers – a combo he claims 80% of the population would accept.
Read the whole feed here:
1/ Principles for new imgrtn policy that wd be better for UK econ & world in general & have ~80% support:
— odysseanproject (@odysseanproject) October 11, 2016
2 Make it MUCH EASIER for hi-skill imgrnts to move: #1 priority=scientists & esp hard quant skills – free m/ment for maths/physics PhDs etc
— odysseanproject (@odysseanproject) October 11, 2016
3/ Hard tough rules on criminals/terrorists etc – also dump all ECHR crap on subject as well as EU/Charter of Fnd Rights
— odysseanproject (@odysseanproject) October 11, 2016
(ECHR=European Convention on Human Rights)
4/ Outside EU & Charter of FR, UK then controls how we implement 1951 UN Convention on refugees, which also needs to be changed
— odysseanproject (@odysseanproject) October 11, 2016
5/ Fewer low-skilled migrants for a decade while e/thing adapts
— odysseanproject (@odysseanproject) October 11, 2016
6/ System based on skills not geography
— odysseanproject (@odysseanproject) October 11, 2016
7/ Ditch ‘net migration’ target – it’s inherently crap metric invented by DC/GO for political reasons w/out understanding public psychol
— odysseanproject (@odysseanproject) October 11, 2016
(DC/GO = David Cameron/George Osborne)
8/ Build infrastructure. E.g NHS needs cash & Govt will fold to pressure sooner/later, wiser to get ahead of it
— odysseanproject (@odysseanproject) October 11, 2016
9/ Make clear priority: 21stC UK cannot be based on taxes from Goldmans but on hard sciences, educatn, non-financial innovation
— odysseanproject (@odysseanproject) October 11, 2016
10/ No ‘free movement’ treaty with EU embedded in special law like ECA72 or HRA – must be able to change immigtn policy by democratic vote
— odysseanproject (@odysseanproject) October 11, 2016
(ECA72 = European Communities Act 1972, HRA = Human Rights Act)
11/ All above v popular among INs & OUTs – both status quo & ‘pulling up drawbridge’ = v UNpopular outside v small no. irreconcilables
— odysseanproject (@odysseanproject) October 11, 2016
12/ The above wd leave LAB, UKIP & LibDems high and dry politically with no choice but to look stupid or follow
— odysseanproject (@odysseanproject) October 11, 2016
13/ Regulatory diversity in EUR inherently good: a huge advantage for EUR post-Renaissance, viz unified/harmonised/isolated/stagnant China
— odysseanproject (@odysseanproject) October 11, 2016
14/ Delivering will need destruction of Whitehall's poisonous HR system that makes hi performance Govt imposs – that’s for another day…
— odysseanproject (@odysseanproject) October 11, 2016
