This morning the ONS announced a big drop in met migration. It halved last year to 431,000, down from 866,000 a year earlier: the biggest drop ever recorded. And, surprise, surprise, the Tories are falling over themselves to take the credit. Two former Home Secretaries and a Home Office Minister all claim the victory as down to their work. But who really can take the credit? There’s only one way to find out!
First in the ring, Robert Jenrick tweeted that they were as a result of “the changes I secured as immigration Minister”. Next, James Cleverly released a video of himself slowly walking around the outside of Westminster Abbey saying that the drop was “as a result of the changes I put in place”. Finally Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary before him, tweeted that it was “thanks to the plan of measures I pushed for as Home Secretary” but said she was blocked from delivering them and they only came into force after she had been forced out.
So who’s right? Well we’ve had this tussle before and at the last dash to claim credit, ConservativeHome editor Giles Dilnot published a piece which gave most of the credit to his former boss James Cleverly, whereas Parliament Square pointed out that Cleverly had arrived after all the hard work had been done by Braverman, and the delayed reforms were finally enacted by the new Home Secretary because Junior Home Office minister, Robert Jenrick, had threatened to resign if the button wasn’t pushed.
Funny then that whilst the debate has been reignited, since the last tussle Dilnot seems to have taken PS’s criticisms on board and edited his article to suggest Suella’s role was a bit larger than he had previously had given credit for, now acknowledging that Suella at least worked on the proposals along with Jenrick, up from his previous hit-piece which a dismissed her as a cranky letter-writer.
If only the Tories could so easily revise history.
