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MPs' fury over government ignoring expert advice on immigration

28 February 2013

Damning report says government failed to take account of recent developments, must think again and change course

An influential group of MPs has today responded quickly and angrily to the government's decision to include international students in net migration figures.

In a report, released this morning, the business, innovation and skills (BIS) select committee fails to disguise its anger that the government took so long to respond to its original September report that said overseas students should not be recorded in migration figures in order to allow the UK to continue to expand its share of the overseas student market.

The report concludes that the government's response was 'late, woefully short on detail and fails to take account of recent developments'. It urges the government to 'listen, think again and change course'.

UCU said the government's chaotic efforts to meet migration targets and sound tough on immigration to a domestic audience risked doing real damage to the UK's reputation abroad.

The union said the government's decision undermined David Cameron's efforts to persuade students in India just last week that Britain still welcomed them.

UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'Our higher education sector is a success story and ministers should be doing all they can to help, not hinder, its progress.  We won't win the global race by sending out a message that Britain is closed for business.

'Pandering to a domestic audience to sound tough on immigration is a dangerous and unwise move. Students should not be included in migration figures and the furore surrounding the issue makes it clear that governments should listen to the experts.'

Last month the chairs of five influential committees of cross-party MPs and peers wrote to the prime minister urging him to remove international students from net migration targets. More on that story here 

The committee's report, Too little, too late, is available here.

Last updated: 10 December 2015

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