LONDON, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Theresa May told the House of Commons Wednesday that immigration controls into Britain are important.
Her comments during the weekly prime minister's question time followed reports in London's national papers that May's government of proposed post-Brexit controls on Europeans coming to Britain.
The Guardian newspaper broke the story citing a leaked report from the interior ministry, the Home Office, setting out detailed proposals, including measures to drive down number of low-skilled migrants from European countries.
The 82-page draft document said Britain will end the free movement of labor immediately after Brexit and introduce restrictions to deter all but highly-skilled EU workers from entering the country.
The Guardian said the document, marked extremely sensitive and dated August 2017, sets out for the first time how Britain intends to approach the politically charged issue of immigration, dramatically refocusing policy to put British workers first.
Downing Street and government officials refused to comment on the reports, saying full details of Britain's immigration plans will be revealed later this fall.
Political commentators said Downing Street's failure to deny or disown the report, coupled with May's comments in the House of Commons, gave a strong pointer to the validity of the immigration plan.
During question time May was asked if she agreed that immigration is essential to the strength of the British economy, as well as to enhancing Britain's diversity and cultural fabric.
May replied: "As I have said on many occasions, overall immigration has been good for the UK, but people want to see it controlled. That is what people want to see as a result of our leaving the EU.
"We can already exercise controls in relation to those who come to this country from outside the EU, and the government continues to believe that it is important to have net migration at sustainable levels, we believe that to be in the tens of thousands, particularly given the impact it has on people at the lower end of the income scale in depressing their wages."
May elaborated on the issue in response to another question from MP Ian Blackford, who raised the way 100 EU nationals resident in Britain in the summer had received deportation notices in error.
He told May: "We need to cherish those who are here, not chase them away," demanding she apologises for the way the migrants had been treated.
May said all 100 of them had been given a government apology.
In relation to the error made by the Home Office, every single one of those individuals was telephoned with an apology.
She added: "There is a reason for wanting to control migration. It is because of the impact that net migration can have on people, on access to services and on infrastructure, but crucially also because it often hits those at the lower end of the income scale hardest. It is important that we bring in controls, but we want to continue to welcome the brightest and the best here to the UK, and we will continue to do so."
The prospect of immigration controls has alarmed employer organisations as well as the farming community who rely on workers, particularly from eastern European countries, particularly during crop harvesting seasons.
Britain's NHS and catering and leisure industries also depend on European labor.
Commenting on the leaked report, Frances O'Grady, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) said: "These plans would create an underground economy, encouraging bad bosses to exploit migrants and undercut decent employers offering good jobs. The government must crack down on bad jobs and make sure work is fairer for everyone."
