What an admission of defeat that we’re forced to import brickies, roofers and plasterers once again
Shaky ground
WHAT an admission of defeat that we are having to import brickies, roofers and plasterers once again.
One of the goals of Brexit was to wean ourselves off cheap foreign labour — which had depressed wages for so long — and train more Brits for skilled trades.
But ministers say shortages are still so acute they have no choice but to add construction to those jobs we need migrants to do.
That is a grim failure.
Britain has consistently underfunded training and done too little to entice young people into these crucial and rewarding roles.
Society still tells them their prospects are better at university . . . even studying often third-rate courses employers do not respect and which condemn them to living under the shadow of a £60,000 debt.
The Tories have woken up to that somewhat late.
And post-Covid we are in the scandalous position of having 5.2million on jobless benefits but too few to train as tilers.
So, having increased our population by 606,000 last year alone, we are flinging open the borders ever wider.
Foreign builders might help get more homes built, in theory. The Sun.
