Open up Britain to more Commonwealth migrants, says Mayor of London

London (November 2) At a time of mounting anger in working class areas about the number of European Union immigrants in this country, the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has called on the government to throw open the UK's border to migrants from certain Commonwealth countries.

He particularly wants to see more young people coming in from four leading countries which are members of the 53 nations "club" - Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa.

Johnson has just published a biography of Sir Winston Churchill and by calling for more immigrants from countries which were the backbone of the Commonwealth before the "Uhuru" wave hit the world in the late 1950s and 1960s, is seen to be promoting Churchill's lifelong admiration for what he called "the English-speaking peoples."

Johnson has written a foreword to a report prepared by Commonwealth Exchange, a policy foundation that promotes trade, that demands action to boost the number of new arrivals from these countries - three of which are considered predominately "white" countries by Club members.

The report, which will be published November 3, says that ignoring the Commonwealth is damaging the UK economy because highly skilled people who share Britain's cultural heritage are kept out of the country, while low-skilled migrants from  the EU are coming in.

A report in the Sunday Times (November 2) says that Commonwealth Exchange endorses proposals by Boris Johnson to set up bilateral free movement zones between Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

THE Commonwealth Exchange report also calls for a Commonwealth ‘concession' to make it easier for people from those countries to obtain tourist and business-tourist visas and for the restoration of Commonwealth nations to the Youth Mobility Visa which allows eligible young people to work in Britain for up to two years.

In his foreword Boris Johnson - who is being tipped by many Conservatives as a future prime minister - says: "We should welcome the brightest and the best from a wider range of countries, As we examine our relationship with the EU, we have a vital opportunity to recast out immigration system in just this way. And the first place to start with is the Commonwealth. In 2013, I visited Australia and was reminded of the myriad enduring bonds between ‘the English speaking peoples' to use Churchill's phrase. It seems that almost all parts of the Commonwealth are brimming with a new energy and optimism at precisely the time that the EU is struggling."

 Tim Hewish, executive director of Commonwealth Exchange, told Tim Simpson, political editor of the Sunday Times:" The UK's visa system is broken and needs urgent reform, On the one hand we have free movement of people from the EU, and on the other we impose heavy restrictions on the Commonwealth. That means the UK is effectively cutting itself off from a market and the talents of 2.3 billion people many of whom share our language and values."

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter