British PM says she will bring migration down

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal

LONDON

Net migration into the U.K. must be at a "sustainable level" of tens of thousands, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday.

Speaking during election campaigning, May confirmed this previously set -- but never reached migration target -- would be back on her ruling Conservatives’ agenda.

Former Prime Minister David Cameron first set the target in 2010 but in 2015 saw record annual net migration of 330,000.

Net migration to the U.K. was 273,000 in the year ending September 2016, according to official figures.

Speaking on Monday, May said: "Let's look at why we have a net migration target, why we have said that it is important to reduce immigration, to bring control into the immigration figures.

"It's because of the impact that it has on people. The impact it has, particularly on people at the lower end of the income scale and in terms of the pressure on public services.”

"So I think it's important that we continue -- and we will continue -- to say that we do want to bring net migration down to sustainable levels. We believe that is the tens of thousands," she added.

She added that leaving the European Union would allow the British government to set the rules on who comes into the country and "control our borders".

“Leaving the EU means we won’t be having free movement as it has been in the past,” May said, signaling tougher border controls after Brexit.

May also said voters should choose between her Conservative Party and the main opposition Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn “who just wants to carry on with free movement as it always has been”.

Labour is set to reveal its immigration policies next week but Corbyn previously said he did not think migration from the EU was too high.

Corbyn last month supported fairer rules in post-Brexit immigration but underlined that this should be set against continued access to the European single market.

And, speaking in January, he said his party was “not wedded to freedom of movement for EU citizens as a point of principle, but I don’t want that to be misinterpreted, nor do we rule it out”.

Latest opinion polls suggest May's ruling party is well ahead of its rivals. The latest Guardian/ICM poll shows the Conservatives at a record 49 percent while Labour is behind on 27 percent.

The Conservative Party won hundreds of new council seats across England, Wales and Scotland in local elections held last week, gaining support in traditionally Labour areas, Scotland and also burying its populist rivals in the United Kingdom Independence Party.