Letter in the Times: Annual Migration Plan

Adopting an annual Migration Plan, in which decisions are based on evidence about the costs and benefits of different types of migration routes, would allow the government to weigh up the trade-offs inherent in migration policy (“Reforms to tighten immigration delayed”, news, 7 Apr). It would be able to set out what changes would mean for the economy, the labour market and public services, rather than making incoherent, knee-jerk  changes  or announcements in response to labour or net migration statistics. Since 2016, governments of all stripes have argued about the importance of control. But when, year after year, ministers are forced to disown the migration system that they oversee, it is little wonder the public is losing confidence. Adopting an annual plan would allow the home secretary and her cabinet colleagues to take back control.

• Sir Simon Clarke (Director, Onward)
• Robert Colville (Director, Centre for Policy Studies)
• Sunder Katwala (Director, British Future)
• Harry Quilter-Pinner (Executive Director, IPPR)
• Dr Hannah White (Director and CEO, Institute for Government)