Ed Davey has urged Keir Starmer to create a new visa route so that Americans seeking to flee the Trump presidency.
The Lib Dem leader said it should target wealthy Americans so they can “bring their money and their skills” to the UK.
UK immigration lawyers said earlier this week that they have received a spike in inquiries from “mobile, wealthy individuals in tech, law, and the arts” who are “worried about socially conservative policies that Trump could introduce once in office” so they are wanting to move to other countries, such as Britain.
In PMQs, he asked: “An idea for the chancellor to grow the economy: as President-elect Trump prepares to take office next week, there are reports that a number of wealthy, highly-skilled Americans are looking to come to the UK for fear of what President-elect Trump will do to their country.
“But because the Conservatives so broke the immigration system, many of them are finding there is no visa that they can apply for.
“Now I know the Prime Minister is rightly seeking to reduce immigration from the record highs of the Conservatives, but does he agree: if people like this want to come to our country, to bring their money and their skills, so we can grow our economy and pay for our public services, they should be able to?”
I left the US during Obama’s time in office, and for family rather than political reasons, but I’ve found that the quality of life here is excellent. My advice: avoid London, which is insanely expensive, overcrowded, polluted, and full of money-grubbing finance weasels and slimy foreign oligarchs and those who pander to them. Also, London has too many Americans from the finance sector, so Americans are not well-liked there. I live in the South West, which has (by English standards at least) good weather, beautiful and varied countryside, and down-to-earth no-bullshit people. Also, their accent is less abrasive than many in England.
With England, there’s London, which is an international hub city, then there’s the rest of the country. They’re not the same. Make sure to experience both before deciding.
And yeah, you don’t need to learn a new language, though cultural norms are different and it takes a while to understand the unwritten rules.
That is how the rest of the country feels too!
Steady on!
but if you’re trans, queer, or a refugee (which most people fleeing trump would be), it’s not the friendliest place right now.