The Home Office is set to recruit an additional 1,300 border staff to ensure stringent UK immigration checks take place after Brexit, according to Home Secretary Amber Rudd.
Rudd confirmed the new staff members are due to be in place by the end of the UK’s Brexit negotiations in 2021, alongside a further 1,200 caseworkers who will be responsible for processing the claims of settled status by EU nationals.
In terms of financial figures, Home Office permanent secretary Philip Rutnam revealed that the Treasury provided £60 million for use on Brexit negotiations in the year 2017/18, much of which was dedicated to inveting in technology and recruiting 1,200 caseworkers.
A further £395 million will be made available in the year 2018/19, including £150 million set for use in strengthening borders and £170 million dedicated to the development of a system to allow EU nationals to claim settled status, the latter of which will become operational later in the year.
Rudd also responded to calls from Commons Home Affairs Committee chair Yvette Cooper to confirm whether the government will seek to reduce net migration below 100,000 by suggesting only that the target was “challenging”.
“It is a concern to many people, particularly the people who voted to leave the EU, that immigration is too high,” she added, “so I will be making sure that we continue to reduce it.”
When further challenged by Ms Cooper regarding the government’s UK immigration objectives in terms of Brexit negotiations, Ms Rudd added: “I think what the public want is to make sure they have a Government that is committed to reducing the high numbers of net migration, and they are seeing that with this Government.”