Points-Based Immigration System 'Not An Option' - Downing Street

A points-based immigration system championed by Brexit campaigners has been dismissed by the Government, with a Downing Street spokesman saying the idea "will not work and is not an option".

An Australian-style system was one of the key policy pledges made by Vote Leave campaigners including Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson during the EU referendum campaign.

But Number 10 said: "The precise way in which the Government will control the movement of EU nationals to Britain after Brexit is yet to be determined.

"However, as the PM has said many times in the past, a PBS will not work and is not an option."

They added: "A PBS would give foreign nationals the right to come to Britain if they meet certain criteria: an immigration system that works for Britain would ensure that the right to decide who comes to the country resides with the Government."

The tone was much stronger than earlier remarks by Prime Minister Theresa May, who said at the G20 summit in China that such a system was "not a silver bullet" to reducing the number of people coming to the UK.

The PM said there were questions over whether such systems worked as she vowed that the free movement of EU citizens could not continue in its current form after the vote.

Mrs May also refused to rule out contributing funds to EU programmes after Brexit, despite money being paid to Brussels forming a major part in the referendum debate.

Mrs May said: "You really don't want to ask a former home secretary about the intricacies of points-based systems.

"One of the issues is whether or not points-based systems do work, and so forth.

"What I say is the voice of the British people was very clear. They wanted control in the issue of the movement of people coming in from the European Union.

"They didn't want free movement to continue as it has done in the past. We will be going out there to deliver on that."

She (Munich: SOQ.MU - news) added: "There is no single silver bullet that is the answer in terms of dealing with immigration.

"People voted for control. What they wanted to see was some control in the movement of people from EU countries into the UK."

Mrs May refused to divulge any details of exactly what system of control the UK would be operating after the country leaves the EU, other than removing people who arrive or stay in the country illegally.

She also repeated her desire for EU nationals to be allowed to stay in the UK after the referendum vote - but only if the rights of Britons overseas are respected.

Outgoing UKIP leader Nigel Farage told Sky News the idea of a points-based system had "caught the public's imagination" during the referendum campaign and Mrs May's comments "look like backsliding".

He added: "I think there will be a lot of people today who voted for Brexit, who were happy when the Prime Minister said 'Brexit means Brexit', but are now just a little bit worried."