Today’s Home Office stories include the Metropolitan Police Commissioner’s comments to the Police Superintendents’ Association on police funding, reports that British citizens could struggle to enter EU countries if there is no deal and the Migration Advisory Committee’s (MAC) report on international students.
Cressida Dick’s comments on police pay award
There is widespread coverage of the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick’s comments yesterday to the Police Superintendents’ Association about the Government’s police pay award.
There is also coverage of the Home Secretary’s speech and comments at conference yesterday where he said that police officers were not receiving enough money despite increases in the past three years.
Sajid Javid told officers that the two per cent increase was a “reflection of trying to strike” a balance.
A Home Office spokesperson said:
“Our decision to empower locally-accountable Police and Crime Commissioners to make decisions using their local expertise does not mean that we do not understand the demands on police forces. In addition, the report does not recognise the strengths of PCCs and Chief Constables leading on day to day policing matters, including on financial sustainability.
“We remain committed to working closely with police and delivered a £460m increase in overall police funding in 2018/19, including increased funding for local policing through Council Tax.
“We are also working with the police to put forward the evidence to ensure they receive the resources they need to do their vital work at the next Spending Review.”
Warning that British citizens with valid passports could be turned away from EU countries if there is no deal
The Mail carries an article on how British citizens with less than six months on their passport could be turned away from the borders of European countries from March if there’s no-deal Brexit.
A Whitehall source reportedly told the paper that there could be “chaos” at passport offices as citizens try and renew their passports to ensure they do run down below six months.
The piece states that in the event of a no-deal British holidaymakers could be treated like travellers from non-EU countries, according to leaked government papers.
The Home Office does not comment on leaked documents.
Ministers urged to ease limits on foreign students’ working
There is coverage in the Times, Financial Times and the Telegraph of the Migration Advisory Committee’s (MAC) report on the Impact of International Students in the UK.
One of the report’s recommendations is for the Government to ease restrictions on students’ right to work in the UK after their studies, the FT reports.
The Committee recommended that PhD students should have an automatic right to work in the UK for 12 months after they complete their courses and that masters degree students should be allowed to work for six months. The report added that graduates should automatically be given preferential right to skilled migrant visas for two years after graduation.
There is also coverage of other recommendations by the MAC, including to keep students in migration statistics and for there to be no cap on the number who can come to study.
A Home Office spokesperson said:
"As this report makes clear, international students play an important and positive role in our education system, economy and society. We are committed to ensuring we continue to attract the best international students.
"We will carefully consider the recommendations that the Migration Advisory Committee has raised in this report and will respond in due course.”