Chancellor Rachel Reeves faces backlash over a new scheme that offers British companies £5,000 for every "high-skilled" foreign worker they hire, with critics branding it a "direct attack" on UK employees. The initiative, aimed at addressing labor shortages, will grant “high-growth” firms up to £25,000 to cover visa costs for overseas staff and their dependants. It targets specialist hires in technology, digital, life sciences, and clean energy sectors, while also fast-tracking sponsor licence applications for international businesses.
Criticism from Migration Experts
Robert Bates, Research Director at the Centre for Migration Control, strongly condemned the plan. He stated: “There is no legitimate reason for the government to be subsidising firms to import foreign workers. The Chancellor clearly has no interest in improving the life chances of the British people. This is a direct attack on workers by Labour and the Chancellor that will only heighten the crisis of youth unemployment.” Bates urged the government to “shut down harmful visa routes, whilst making it easier and cheaper for businesses to hire Brits.” He warned that the policy “will lock Brits out of their own domestic labour market whilst throwing it open to the world.”
Government's Vision for High-Growth Firms
Ms Reeves and Business Secretary Peter Kyle unveiled the subsidy alongside a new “concierge service” for businesses, as reported by The Telegraph. They expressed their ambition to “nurture the UK’s first trillion-dollar firm.” In a joint statement, they explained: “The new concierge service, offering tiered support, will accelerate the most promising scale-ups and build a strong pipeline of high-growth firms ready to break through. It will ensure that the current support for business is joined up and delivering targeted support to tackle issues facing promising firms in the country.” The statement further emphasized: “We are backing the UK’s most ambitious firms to start, scale, and stay here – with the finance, talent and support they need to succeed. Working in partnership with industry, we are making sure Britain is the best place in the world not just to start a business, but to grow a world-leading one.”
