Lee Anderson, the chairman of Reform UK, has launched a scathing attack on the Labour government, accusing it of destroying the traditional Saturday job while granting visas to foreign workers for roles in car washes, vape shops, and barbershops. The outspoken MP warns that the government is creating a "lost generation" as concerns grow over the rising number of young people not in education, employment, or training (NEET).
Anderson's Criticism of Labour's Policies
Mr Anderson stated: "Labour has helped kill off the simple Saturday job many of us grew up with: a shift in a pub, a paper round, working the tills in a local shop… Now, too many young people can’t get a foot on the ladder at all." He expressed outrage that the register of employers licensed to bring migrant workers to the UK includes car washes, newsagents, vape shops, barbershops, takeaways, and phone shops.
Skilled Migration or Exploitation?
The Ashfield MP questioned the government's definition of skilled migration, saying: "That isn’t what people understand by skilled migration. I’m not turning my nose up at honest work here – nothing wrong with working in a shop, cafe or a car wash… But why do they need to sponsor people to come and work for them from abroad, and why is the Government letting them?" He has written to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood demanding answers.
Mr Anderson contrasted his view of skilled workers with reality: "When I hear the term 'skilled worker', I imagine engineers coming here to build crucial infrastructure or world-leading surgeons performing life-saving operations and teaching British medical students how to do the same. Unfortunately, the Government doesn’t seem to be on the same page as the rest of us."
Call for Transparency on Visas
He demanded to know: "How many of these visas have been sponsored by vape shops, how many of these licences have been suspended or revoked, and how many of these businesses have been inspected by the Home Office or Trading Standards?" Noting that there are over 140,000 businesses on the sponsor register and more than 300,000 applications through this visa route in the last five years, he called the numbers "colossal" when so many young Britons are desperate for work.
NEET Crisis Worsening
A landmark report by former Health Secretary Alan Milburn last month warned that the share of NEET young people could jump to more than 1.25 million within five years. Mr Anderson defended young people, stating: "Our young people are not shirkers. So many of them are desperate for jobs, training, responsibility and the chance to prove themselves and earn themselves a crust."
He condemned Labour's hike in National Insurance for making it more expensive for businesses to hire staff, calling it a "betrayal of our own young people by their own Government."
Government Response
The Home Office has said officials have been instructed to urgently review the presence of vape shops, barbers, and car washes on the skilled worker sponsorship list. Any businesses seeking to abuse the system will have their licences revoked. A spokesperson stated: "Holding a sponsorship license is no guarantee of a visa, and we will never tolerate abuse of this system. Under this Government, skilled sponsor revocations are up by 950%, more than 100 occupations have been cut from overseas recruitment access and the skilled salary threshold raised, contributing to an 82% fall in net migration."
