Sir Keir Starmer has been urged to open the door to wealthy US citizens desperate to emigrate from America as Donald Trump returns to the White House.
The Prime Minister was asked in Parliament to ensure there is a visa scheme which would enable American business chiefs and other high-flyers to come to Britain.
The request came amid reports that some millionaire Democrats are eager to leave the US following Trump’s historic presidential election win.
Trump is due to start his second term in office on January 20, with a string of controversial proposed plans already outlined including hefty tariffs on imports, gaining control of Greenland, and renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.
At Prime Minister’s Question, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey appealed to the PM to ensure there is a route open for well-heeled US citizens to find a new home in the UK.
Sir Ed told the Commons: “Turning to the economy, and ideas for the Chancellor to grow the economy, as President elect Trump prepares to take office, there are reports that a number of wealthy, highly skilled Americans are looking to come to the UK for fear of what Trump will do to their country.
“But because the Conservatives so broke the immigration system, many of them are finding there’s no visa that they should apply for.
“Now I know the Prime Minister is rightly seeking to reduce immigration from the record highs under the Conservatives.
“But does he agree that if people like this want to come to our country, to bring their money and their skills so to grow our economy and pay for our public services, they should be able to?”
The Prime Minister did not directly answer the question, focusing his reply on tightening Britain’s borders, after net migration into the UK hit a record 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
He said: “The last government lost control of immigration as they lost control of health, of the economy, the borders and everything else, and it was, of course, the leader of the opposition who was championing the driving up of the numbers,” he told MPs.
”So we will bring those numbers down. We’ll get it back under control. We’ll encourage investment.”
Sir Ed is understood to have been referring to a visa scheme offering foreign investors fast-track residency in the UK which was scrapped by the Tory government in February 2022.
At the time, then Home Secretary Priti Patel argued that ending Tier 1 investor visas, for those spending at least £2 million, was the start of a “renewed crackdown on illicit finance and fraud”.
The special visa route was introduced in 2008 to encourage wealthy people from outside the EU to invest in Britain.
Sir Keir began PMQs by expressing thanks to President Biden for his leadership, and then “warmly” congratulating President-elect Trump ahead of his inauguration on Monday. The Prime Minister said he will ensure “the special relationship” between the UK and US continues to grow stronger.
