Rishi Sunak has declined to apologize for the record-breaking net immigration that contradicts a key election promise, facing increased pressure from ministers and Conservative backbench MPs for more government action.

Following official figures revealing a peak of 745,000 in the net migration difference, the Prime Minister emphasized the need for immigration to decrease to "more sustainable" levels. Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick proposed a five-point plan, including prohibiting foreign social care workers from bringing dependents and imposing a cap on the total number of visas for NHS and social care workers.

Some Tory MPs are calling for "immediate and massive" measures to fulfill the party's manifesto commitment to reduce net immigration to the "tens of thousands."

In an interview at the Nissan car plant in Sunderland, Sunak refrained from commenting on whether he would apologize for not fulfilling the manifesto pledge. He emphasized that the current levels of migration are too high and need to be reduced to more sustainable levels.

Sunak claimed that immigration is slowing, as indicated by the Office for National Statistics, but acknowledged that there is more work to be done to bring down the number of people arriving in the UK.

“I’m very clear that the levels of migration are too high and they’ve got to come down to more sustainable levels,” he said.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that the difference between legal arrivals and departures was 745,000 in the year to December 2022, a figure three times higher than pre-Brexit levels, despite the Conservative party's 2019 manifesto commitment to reduce overall numbers.

Several MPs on the right of the party, including ousted Home Secretary Suella Braverman, are urging Sunak to uphold that commitment. Jenrick's plan reportedly includes considerations to eliminate the shortage occupation list, a program allowing foreign workers to be paid 20% below the standard rate in roles facing skilled worker shortages.

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The government's migration advisory committee has already recommended scrapping the list due to concerns that it facilitates the influx of inexpensive foreign labor into the UK.

Sunak said to be ready to restrict foreign healthcare staff to just one relative

The push to limit the number of foreign workers in the NHS and social care may face opposition from health officials dealing with severe staff shortages in the health and care sector.
 
Sunak said his government has already acted this year by restricting the number of dependents that international students can bring with them to the UK.

“That action I took represents the single toughest measure that anyone has taken to bring down the levels of legal migration in a very long time,” he said. “So that should give people a sense of my commitment to bringing migration down. And if we see further abuse of the system, of course we’re prepared to act to do more.”

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions expressed her dissatisfaction with the revised figures indicating that net immigration peaked at 745,000, deeming them "unacceptable". Braverman, who served as Home Secretary for a year before her recent dismissal, conveyed her sentiments on social media: “Today’s record numbers are a slap in the face to the British public who have voted to control and reduce migration at every opportunity. We must act now to reduce migration to sustainable levels. Brexit gave us the tools. It’s time to use them.”

James Cleverly, the current Home Secretary, remarked to The Times that the reported figure does not indicate a substantial rise compared to last year's statistics and is broadly consistent with the existing immigration data.

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It is worth noting that the UK parliament confirmed in July that the migration bill, described by many as "illegal", has passed parliament after the House of Commons rejected the amendments proposed by the House of Lords.

"The Illegal Migration Bill completes passage through Parliament as both Houses agree on the text of the bill," the statement read, adding that the bill is pending the final step of Royal Assent when it will be ratified into law. 

The bill aims to deport migrants who enter illegally into the UK by boats across the English Channel to a third country like Rwanda. The matter was transferred to the Supreme Court after the UK Court of Appeal ruled that the bill was illegal.

In response, the UN refugee and human rights agencies, UNHCR and OHCHR, issued a warning that the bill violates international law and will jeopardize the lives of those in need.