Government strategy to deter migration is a 'criminal waste of money'

A leading UK entrepreneur says recent government  advertising campaigns are "unbelievable". Will Davies, managing director of property maintenance and refurbishment enterprise aspect.co.uk, made his comments after the news of a government campaign using vans to tell immigrants to "go home". 

"The idea that migrants will change their plans and not come to the UK because they think that it will rain a lot is too unbelievable, even for a Monty Python sketch," said Davies.

This recent campaign is now under investigation by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has already voiced his concern in a radio interview with LBC. Chris Bryant, Labour MP's shadow immigration minister called the move "an embarrassing blow" to the British government.

Davies further suggests that the Home Office should have done more effective research. "I would suggest that some research would be a better spend than a ludicrous advertising campaign which would be a criminal waste of money," he said.

Davies acknowledged the role people from abroad have in British businesses, although his priority has always been on employing young British workers.

"Here at aspect.co.uk, we successfully employ many workers from eastern Europe. They have a different work ethic from British workers but my worry is that a further influx of workers will have an impact on the already dire employment situation for young people in this country.

"At the moment, if an eastern European is interviewed for a job and he/she has completed a full apprenticeship, as many of them will have, then our young long-term unemployed will have no chance of being employed," he added.

One way of ensuring more young British people are employed is through apprenticeships, said Davies, who added that he welcomes government plans to give employers control over apprenticeship training, after being a campaigner for such reform.

"I have been saying for years that employers know the skills required to make people, especially young people, employable and they should be the guiding force in designing apprenticeships: not civil servants or outside training agencies.

"More than 20% of the under 24-year-olds in this country are without employment or training at the moment and becoming more and more alienated by the job market. That is a dire situation: no country can hope to return itself to a sound financial footing if it alienates 20% of its future workforce."

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