The Limits to Limits: Is a cap on immigration a viable policy for the UK?

This IIPR briefing is an attempt to work through the implications of a cap on immigration to the UK.

As we approach a general election, all three main parties are keen to emphasise that they would be tough on immigration. The Liberal Democrats talk about a ‘firm but fair system’, Labour emphasises its ‘tough but flexible’ Australian-style Points-Based System. But the Conservatives have gone a step further and have made a cap on immigration a headline policy. Although they have not set out the level at which such a cap might be set, they have talked about reducing annual net immigration below 100,000, and have also intimated their support for calls for annual net immigration to be reduced to around 40,000.

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