The Conservative MP is calling for increased investment in technology to reduce reliance on low-paid migrant workers, highlighting automation as a way to boost efficiency and reduce net migration.
Businesses should embrace more automation technologies rather than employ low-paid migrant workers, according to Conservative MP Chris Philp. Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Philp stressed the need for increased use of robots and automated systems in industries to reduce net migration figures in the UK.
“Other countries are using a lot of automation in tasks like picking fruits and vegetables, rather than just importing a lot of low-wage migrant labor,” Philp said. He pointed to examples such as Australia and New Zealand, where robotic equipment for picking fruits and vegetables is being implemented. He also noted that South Korea uses nine times as many robots in manufacturing operations as the UK.
“In America, they use a lot of building blocks, and it’s much faster and more efficient,” he added. “There is a lot British industry can do to grow without having to import large numbers of low-paid immigrants.”
At a recent press conference, senior Conservative Party figures acknowledged past shortcomings on immigration policy. Kemi Badenoch, a senior Conservative MP, promised to review “every policy, treaty and part of our legal framework”, including the role of the European Convention on Human Rights and human rights law.
While Badenoch committed to imposing a “hard numerical cap” on immigration and said the Conservatives “will explain to you how to get to those numbers”, she did not commit to restoring the previously scrapped Rwanda scheme. However, Philp called for the scheme to be reinstated, stating that it was “canceled before it even started”.
Asked about reports that ministers had considered using a giant wave machine to deter Channel crossings, Philp replied: “I don’t recall ever seriously considering that idea. I can’t remember if anyone else has done it.”
Philippe declined to give a figure for the proposed immigration cap but noted that net immigration figures of 350,000 would be “very high.” He stressed the importance of identifying “the exact number of highly skilled, highly paid people we need”, and addressing concerns about courses being used “as a kind of parallel immigration system”.
He added that the Conservative Party would examine migrants’ eligibility for benefits among other measures to reduce net migration.