We need more immigrant workers, says Next boss

The main enforcement of High Street concatenation Next is urging the authorities to fto much overseas workers into the UK to alleviate chronic labour shortages.

Lord Wolfson, who was a salient advocator of Brexit, said the UK's existent migration argumentation was crippling economical growth.

He said firms should wage a taxation to employment overseas workers, to promote them to enlistee from the UK first.

The Home Office was approached for comment.

"We person got radical queuing up to travel to this state to prime crops that are rotting successful fields, to enactment successful warehouses that different wouldn't beryllium operable, and we're not letting them in.

"And we person to instrumentality a antithetic attack to economically productive migration."

Lord Wolfson, a Conservative peer, told the BBC that the authorities needed to determine whether the UK was an unfastened escaped trading nation, oregon whether post-Brexit it wanted to beryllium "fortress Britain", pulling up the drawbridge to overseas workers astatine important outgo to the economy.

"I deliberation successful respect of immigration, it's decidedly not the Brexit that I wanted, oregon indeed, galore of radical who voted Brexit, but much importantly, the immense bulk of the country," helium said.

"And we person to remember, you know, we're each stuck successful this Brexit argument, we person to retrieve that what post-Brexit Britain looks like, is not the sphere of those radical that voted Brexit, it's for each of america to decide."

He added that the bulk of radical successful Britain person a "very pragmatic view" of immigration.

"Yes, power it, wherever it's damaging to society, but fto radical successful who tin who tin contribute," Lord Wolfson said.

He suggested a market-based solution to hole existent labour shortages, which person affected sectors including healthcare, hospitality and logistics.

He suggests that businesses who request overseas workers should beryllium capable to wage a taxation of 10% to the authorities connected overseas workers' salaries to guarantee that lone the businesses that truly couldn't find UK workers would enlistee overseas.

"It would automatically mean that businesses ne'er bought idiosyncratic into the institution from extracurricular if they could find idiosyncratic successful the UK," helium said. "But if they genuinely can't, they'll wage the premium."

Lord Wolfson admitted that 2023 would beryllium precise pugnacious for consumers and businesses but insisted that galore businesses should not expect authorities enactment that should beryllium targeted astatine the astir needy.

He said "the past happening we privation them to do" is to springiness wealth to businesses that don't truly request it, due to the fact that the authorities needed to absorption "very constricted resources connected the radical that astir request assistance during the upcoming recession".

"That's the radical who are going to beryllium cold, and radical who are going to beryllium hungry, not businesses that privation a interruption connected their taxes," helium said.

Lord Wolfson is wide considered to beryllium 1 of the canniest brains successful UK business, and portion helium conceded adjacent twelvemonth would beryllium tough, determination were reasons for optimism.

First, dissimilar the recessions of the aboriginal 80s and 90s, erstwhile full industries and regions saw enactment opportunities disappear, precise fewer workers would beryllium incapable to find employment.

"While radical volition beryllium squeezed, it's precise improbable that they won't beryllium capable to find work," helium said.

Second, helium said that determination were already signs - successful the prices being quoted for aboriginal earthy materials astatine the extremity of adjacent twelvemonth - that 2024 could spot a beardown bounce backmost from recession.

"The absorbing happening astir a proviso broadside recession is that the seeds of correction are automatically certain. So arsenic request drops, and factories statesman to empty, past prices statesman to travel down," helium said.

"Next twelvemonth volition beryllium pugnacious but determination is nary request for a nationalist tense breakdown," helium added.