Migrant cap plan divisive, MPs told

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The cap is expected to be the centrepiece of a report being published on Monday at the launch of a new cross-party parliamentary group on balanced migration.

The group is to be led by Labour maverick Frank Field, who led the recent backbench rebellion over the 10p income tax rate, and Conservative former minister Nicholas Soames.

According to the Sunday Times, the pair will call for a huge reduction in the numbers of non-European Union workers who settle permanently in Britain.

They will cite official figures suggesting that Britain will need to build seven new cities the size of Birmingham to house an estimated seven million incomers by 2031, and will argue that immigration is placing an intolerable burden on schools, transport, the health service and the environment.

The European Commission recently forecast that the UK's population could soar from 61 million to 77 million within 50 years, largely because of immigration.

While recognising that the Government cannot stem the flow of incomers from the EU, the new group is expected to call on Prime Minister Gordon Brown to balance overall immigrant numbers with emigrants in order to stabilise UK population.

They will argue that all but a tiny minority of the skilled foreigners from outside the EU coming to work here on new four-year work permits should leave as soon as their permits expire. Under the present system, most stay on and are allowed to settle permanently.

Habib Rahman, chief executive of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, said: "These proposals completely ignore the positive contribution migrants make to life in the UK. As well as much-needed skilled workers, many come and do unskilled jobs that need to be done, but for which employers are unable to find home-grown workers.

"Many of the health professionals in the NHS are from non-European Economic Area countries, and it couldn't work without them. Denying migrants a stake in society isn't a route to social cohesion - it's divisive and wasteful of talent."