‘Bonkers’ immigration policy needs overhaul to maintain jobs in farming

“Some economists want to use the immigration policy to gerrymander the labour market to try and drive up wages. It is a bonkers idea but we have six economists who advise the Government; no-one that has ever employed anyone or run a business, they’re just university lecturers.”

Mr Eustice called for a system which determines the needs of sectors with labour issues and makes the best provisions for them, from short-term work permits for three or four years to 12-month seasonal agricultural worker schemes.

Operational scheme

“We should make it much easier for us to have people come here and work – that is why I have been arguing for a change from the so-called skills-based system to one around the needs of our real economy,” he said.

Mr Eustice secured a limited two-year pilot from the Home Office last year.

He added: “I have been arguing quite strongly that that should be converted to a fully operational seasonal workers scheme next year, probably with an allowance of 20,000 to 30,000 places just as the old scheme used to.

“The purpose of a pilot is to try new things that you are unsure about but the reality is when it comes to seasonal agricultural workers we ran a successful scheme from 1945 to 2013 we have enormous experience of how these things operate; we really do not need to waste time.”