Rishi Sunak, the UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer, has promised to take further action to reduce high levels of migration in the country. This comes as he faces renewed pressure to address the issue, which has been a contentious topic for the government.

Rishi Sunak admits more needs to be done

After days of avoiding the topic, Prime Minister Boris Johnson finally acknowledged that "we need to do more" to control the number of people coming to Britain. Sunak echoed this sentiment, admitting that the government had not done enough to fulfill their promises regarding migration.

Speaking at the Global Investment Summit, Sunak stated, "I'm very clear that the levels of net migration are too high. They need to come down to more sustainable levels. It is encouraging that the Office for National Statistics last week said the numbers are slowing but we need to do more."

Tory MPs push for stricter visa requirements

Conservative Members of Parliament are demanding that migrants earn a minimum of £40,000 in order to be granted a visa. This proposal aims to limit the number of migrants to those with the highest skills. Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman had reached an agreement with Sunak on this condition during last year's leadership contest, but the deal was later broken.

Allies of Braverman claim that she had sent six letters to the Prime Minister while in Cabinet, suggesting ideas to reduce migration, but these were allegedly ignored.

New Home Secretary faces criticism over migration plan

James Cleverly, the newly appointed Home Secretary, is set to face scrutiny today after downplaying the importance of the Rwanda plan to tackle illegal migration. Cleverly urged people not to focus solely on this flagship removal scheme, stating that it is not the only solution to end the Channel crisis.

Tory MPs are expected to challenge Cleverly during a parliamentary session later today.

Progress made, but more action needed

Sunak's spokesperson acknowledged that significant progress has been made in reducing illegal crossings, with numbers down by a third compared to the previous year. However, they emphasized that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to the issue and that the government is taking various actions, including bilateral returns agreements and increased cooperation with French counterparts.

The spokesperson also highlighted the importance of the Rwanda migration partnership as a crucial component of the government's overall policy.