Matt Cavanagh 
Willetts attempts to limit the damage of Coalition immigration policy
There was a flutter of excitement among the Higher Education community this morning, when the education editor of the Times tweeted that David Willetts, the Universities Minister, was about to… Continue reading
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What’s in Mark Harper’s immigration in-tray?
As an ambitious young MP rewarded with promotion to Immigration Minister, Mark Harper could be forgiven for viewing the job with mixed emotions. Traditionally one of the most senior ministerial… Continue reading
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Net migration starts to fall – but the real questions remain unanswered
The latest immigration figures published by the ONS today, for the calendar year 2011, show net migration falling for the first time under the coalition – but nowhere near fast… Continue reading
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ONS blunder lets ministers blame falling real incomes on immigration
Yesterday the ONS published a report showing average disposable incomes at their lowest level since 2003. This is difficult news for ministers: as Isabel pointed out, concerns about the cost… Continue reading
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Troubled families policy deserves cross-party support
The report published this week by Louise Casey, the Government’s ‘Troubled Families’ Tsar, has attracted a fair amount of criticism, but what it does illustrate is the chaotic lives these… Continue reading
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Another voice: How ministers are gaming the net migration target
International students are currently the largest single category of immigrants who count in the net migration figures, which cover all those intending to stay more than a year. In the… Continue reading
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Riots report undermines the Tory diagnosis, but spreads itself too thin
After last August’s riots the debate became quickly polarised. Were socio-economic factors like unemployment to blame, or was it all down to the individual choices of the rioters? David Cameron… Continue reading
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Replacing control orders: an unsatisfactory compromise
A small silver lining for David Cameron in the ‘cash for access scandal’: on a quieter day, today’s report on the coalition’s replacement of control orders with ‘Terrorism Prevention and… Continue reading
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Why the immigration cap isn’t biting — and why that is good news
The government’s official advisers on immigration, the Migration Advisory Committee, have today published a report into the restrictions on skilled migrant workers from outside the EU. Turns out that the… Continue reading
57 CommentsThe infantryman’s struggle in Afghanistan
If you have an interest in the military campaign in Afghanistan, or in modern film-making — and if you have a strong stomach — I would strongly recommend Hell and… Continue reading
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The implications of today’s border security report
Today brought closure of a kind to last year’s border fiasco (which I covered for Coffee House here and here), with the publication of the report by the Chief Inspector… Continue reading
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How to implement a minimum price for alcohol
Pete posted earlier on the Prime Minister’s latest intervention on the issue of problem drinking. The new proposals — like a greater police presence in A&Es, and ‘drunk tanks’, special units where… Continue reading
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The MoD wastes another opportunity
Today’s White Paper on defence procurement makes disappointing reading for the UK defence industry — and for anyone who believes that one of the lessons of the last few years… Continue reading
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Today’s NATO leak highlights the need for more realism over Afghanistan
Today’s leaked NATO report on ‘the state of the Taliban’ has generated the predictable responses: excessive attempts by the media to hype it up, and excessive attempts by NATO and… Continue reading
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The Home Office still hasn’t cleared up its border issues
Remember Theresa May’s border skirmish against Brodie Clark back in November? This morning the Home Affairs Select Committee published their report into the whole affair. Ideally it would have cleared… Continue reading
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Immigration to fall in 2012 — but still not on track to hit the Tory target
Immigration will remain at the heart of political debate in 2012. Economic downturns tend to heighten concerns about migrants competing for jobs and depressing wages, and spending cuts tend to… Continue reading
62 CommentsDave’s ‘troubleshooters’ policy is right — but it needs working on
David Cameron has finally announced the way forward on his pledge to ‘turn round the lives of 120,000 of Britain’s troubled families’ — and it is good news. These families… Continue reading
22 CommentsThe Tories may have left it too late for that realistic debate about border security
Another day of bad headlines about border security is, in the end, a bad day for the Home Secretary, whoever ends up getting the blame. Yesterday morning brought further revelations… Continue reading
48 Comments‘Guest worker’ plan would hurt the economy
The economists who advise the Home Office on immigration policy have come out against a plan to turn economic migrants into ‘guest workers’. Last week, the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC)… Continue reading
36 CommentsBritannia waives the rules
Today’s immigration headlines have a familiar feel. Twenty four hours after embarrassing revelations about a hundred thousand asylum case files being quietly written off, we now learn that at certain… Continue reading
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