British interior minister Amber Rudd has come under fire over her proposals to curb foreign workers | Photo Credit Dan Kitwood/PA Wire/Press Association Images
A furious backlash has erupted over UK proposals that could see businesses forced to list the number of foreign workers they employ.
Businesses will be required to reveal how many foreign staff they employ under UK Government plans to force companies to take on more British workers.
British interior minister Amber Rudd used her speech at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham on Tuesday to warn that foreign workers should not be able to "take the jobs that British people should do".
She revealed that companies could be forced to publish the proportion of "international" staff on their books in a move which would effectively "name and shame" businesses which are failing to take on British workers.
Reaction to her comments was swift, with UK Socialist MEP David Martin, who told this website, “Who knew that when Theresa May talked about 'the Nasty Party' back in 2002 it was an ambition not a criticism?
“The answer to getting more British people into work isn’t demonising foreign workers but proper investment in skills and training, as well as tackling unscrupulous bosses and enforcing workers’ rights legislation.
“Non-Brits make a vital contribution to our national economy and shouldn’t be thrown under the bus by this government in order to appease their rabid right-wing," added the veteran Scottish deputy.
Further comment came from Andy Burnham, the British Labour party's Shadow Home Secretary, who described the policy as "xenophobic".
He said: "The tone of the Conservative conference has become increasingly xenophobic. Theresa May has presided over the return of the Nasty Party. Whether it's doctors, migrants or Europe, the Tories are blaming anyone but themselves for their failure.
Leaders of several other British political parties including the Scottish and Welsh nationalists and the British Greens jointly condemned the proposals in a statement, which read, "the most toxic rhetoric on immigration seen from any government in living memory.”
Scotland's first minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon tweeted, “We seem to have woken up with a UKIP government. Depressing doesn't even begin to cover it."
UK Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael also condemned Rudd’s speech saying, “The ‘nasty party’ hasn’t come back, rather it seems it never went away."
The head of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said the move would amount to a "badge of shame" for businesses struggling to meet skills demands in the UK.
Acting director-general of the BCC Adam Marshall said: "A lot of businesses would be saddened if they felt having a global workforce was somehow seen as a badge of shame.”
UK Socialist MEP Neena Gill told this website, “These proposals show a complete disconnect from reality given that many of them [foreign workers] make a vital contribution to our society, caring for our elderly, working in our health service, conducting ground-breaking and life-saving research.
"This is not the way to address undercutting. If the Tories are serious about putting British workers first, their focus should be on addressing skill shortages in our schools and ensuring implementation of workers' rights."