Andy Burnham has been urged to axe £5 billion worth of immigration grants to free up cash for the military, as he faces criticism for refusing to commit to defence spending plans. Migration Watch UK, a watchdog, argues that grants handed out on migration and family life grounds could be slashed easily, saving taxpayers billions.
Migration Grants Under Scrutiny
The watchdog claims that just over 34,000 recently arrived immigrants would lose their first-time in-country handouts, which carry an average lifetime net cost of £141,000 to the taxpayer. These grants are given to people allowed to stay in the UK despite not meeting requirements such as the minimum income threshold and the English-language standard, and who are not selected on economic criteria.
Alp Mehmet, Chairman of Migration Watch UK, demanded Burnham be "honest with the British people." He added: "He can pay for vital defence spending at a stroke; all he needs to do is block the 2025 inflow of Article 8 migrants from accessing taxpayer-funded public services."
Defence Spending Plans
Sir Keir Starmer outlined spending plans to make the UK armed forces battle ready, but critics say Burnham has yet to clarify how he would fund the defence investment plan, which is several billion pounds below what military chiefs reportedly asked for. The likely next prime minister declined to comment when approached by this paper.
Defence chiefs say funding falls short of needs, and the Conservative Party's Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp slammed "vexatious legal challenges to asylum claims." Philp claimed such challenges had made it "far too easy for immigrants to stay in the UK" and hit taxpayers with an "immense cost." He warned that "tweaking and tinkering with article 8 of the ECHR is simply not enough" and demanded the country leave it fully.
Campaign for Proper Brexit
This paper is campaigning for the UK to leave the European Convention on Human Rights as part of its 'Give Us A Proper Brexit' campaign. Sources close to Burnham have suggested the potential Prime Minister views the defence investment plan as "settled."
Labour has been blasted for "prioritising" benefits over a "clear plan" on defence, as the debate over funding continues.
