Prime minister Rishi Sunak has signalled he wants to rein in immigration, in line with the 2019 Conservative Party manifesto commitment to get overall numbers down over the course of the following five years.
Mr Sunak’s predecessor Liz Truss clashed with home secretary Suella Braverman over proposals to let numbers rise in the hope of boosting economic growth, and the spat is believed to have played a part in Ms Braverman’s dismissal last week.
