Diane Abbott: Students need to be taken out of immigration targets

Students must be removed from the immigration target, Diane Abbott said today.

The shadow home secretary made the please in the wake of confusion over what the government’s position is on overseas student numbers, after Boris Johnson suggested that they should be taken out of target numbers.

Abbott amongst other Labour MPs urged the home secretary to clarify where students stand.

“In all parts of the house, there is an increasing consensus that students should be taken out of the immigration target”.

She was was unconivnced by Amber Rudd’s defence that they are included as immigrants because they generally stay over 12 months, replying “technically, anyone who stays more than 12 months may be an immigrant but practically they shouldn’t be in the target”.

Yvette Cooper, chair of the home affairs select committee, also pressed Rudd on the issue and the government’s division on overseas students.

Rudd said overseas students do “play an important role in contributing to the economy” and are “most welcome in the UK”.

The Conservative MP for Chichester also asked about the issue, further suggesting that this is something where the Tories are divided.