May faces Brexit backlash as UKIP loses new leader
AFP
AFP, BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom: Prime Minister Theresa May will give a speech to close her partys conference Wednesday against a backdrop of currency turmoil and growing criticism of her plans for pulling Britain out of the EU.
May will use the address to outline a programme designed to appeal to working-class voters, mirroring some of the rhetoric and policies of the anti-EU UK Independence Party which is steeped in a deep crisis. But her message risks being drowned out by attacks on announcements by her ministers at this weeks Conservative conference, particularly around reducing immigration and moving towards a hard Brexit.
The most controversial proposals include urging employers to publish a record of how many non-British citizens they hire and restricting the number of foreign students by tightening visa rules. I want businesses to think first about locally training people where possible, interior minister Amber Rudd told BBC radio Wednesday.
Were asking them to join us on this journey so they dont automatically go abroad where its cheaper perhaps and sometimes, they feel, more efficient.
Rudd has stressed that leaving the EU is only part of the governments pledge to cut net annual migration to tens of thousands from the current level of nearly 330,000.
Acting director of the British Chambers of Commerce Adam Marshall said the measures would be bad news for the economy, job creation and business investment.
On Wednesday, the pound slumped to a new 31-year low against the dollar on concerns about how Brexit will unfold after May said she would trigger two years of negotiations with Brussels before the end of March, opening the door for an early 2019 departure. May stands up to speak with the anti-EU UKIP in turmoil after the resignation of its leader Diane James on Tuesday just 18 days after being elected to replace Nigel Farage.
