Immigration: Welsh secretary says he's pragmatic on numbers

UK net migration hit 504,000 in the year to June - the highest figure ever recorded, the ONS estimates

Welsh Secretary David Davies said he was "pragmatic" about the number of immigrants allowed into the country.

He said he did not mind "highly-skilled people who've got something to contribute coming to Britain".

Net migration - the difference between people arriving and leaving - is expected to settle at 245,000 a year from 2026 onwards.

But the Home Secretary Suella Braverman wants to reduce net migration to below 100,000.

A post-Brexit points-based immigration system - which covers EU and non-EU migrants - was launched by the UK government at the end of 2020.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that net migration stood at just over 500,000 in the year ending June 2022 - the highest figure ever recorded.

Speaking on BBC Politics Wales, Monmouth MP Mr Davies said: "I'm comfortable about the fact that we're saying if you've got skills for which there is a shortage, doctors for example, certain types of construction workers, of course we welcome you into Britain.

"What I'm not comfortable with is 50,000 a year deciding that they can come into this country without any restrictions, paying money to people smugglers, putting themselves at risk."

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Asked if he supported the previous Conservative manifesto commitment of reducing net migration to the tens of thousands, he replied: "Personally, I'm quite pragmatic about it - I don't mind highly-skilled people who've got something to contribute coming to Britain."

Meanwhile, the UK government has faced calls to provide greater rail funding to Wales as a result of the HS2 high-speed rail line since not an inch of track is set to be laid in Wales.

It is classified as an England and Wales project by Westminster, meaning the Welsh government does not receive a proportionate amount of money, something which is known as a top-up Barnett consequential.

Analysis by the UK government estimates HS2 will have an overall negative impact on Wales.

Officials in Westminster have made the case that the proposed Birmingham to Crewe leg of HS2 would benefit passengers in north Wales.

Asked if a two-year delay to the Crewe leg made it harder to justify this argument, Mr Davies said: "The reality is that Wales and England will benefit from rail projects that are going across the border.

"The work that's going on in the Forest of Dean will mainly benefit passengers travelling from south Wales, traveling up to the Midlands or even up to north Wales."

HS2 trains are expected to be 400m-long (1,300ft) with as many as 1,100 seats

The Welsh government and opposition parties in the Senedd, including the Welsh Conservatives, have called for extra HS2 rail funding for Wales.

But in an interview with WalesOnline, UK Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer refused to commit to making the change if in power in Westminster.

Welsh government Finance Minister Rebecca Evans told Politics Wales she would continue "to press our colleagues in the UK Labour party on HS2".

Mr Starmer also refused to make spending promises on the Welsh NHS ahead of the next general election, but Ms Evans said she was "absolutely confident they will be providing excellent ideas in terms of tax and spending".

On the issue of TikTok, Mr Davies said he was "stumped" over whether he should continue using it.

He said he recognised its usefulness in communicating with younger voters while acknowledging UK government's security fears.

Ministers in Westminster and their counterparts in the Senedd have been banned from using it on work phones amid fears data could be accessed by the Chinese government.

He said: "I'm going to take a bit of advice because on the one hand, I want to make sure that if young people are getting their news from TikTok then I'm there, but on the other hand, I totally recognise the issues that the government raise."

TikTok has denied it hands user data to the Chinese government.