With Boris Johnson having pledged for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union by 31st October 2019, the pressures facing policy makers have greatly increased, as have the chances of a so-called ‘No Deal’ Brexit.

The new Government have also indicated a policy shift with regards to immigration policy, having dropped the May and Cameron-era commitment to reducing net migration to ‘the tens of thousands’. This, coupled with the new Prime Minister’s comments on an amnesty for long-term illegal immigrants, a reiteration of the introduction of a so-called ‘Australian-style Points System’, and the possible removal of international students from migration figures, also represent a substantive change on the policies of the past nine years.

With immigration having been at the forefront of the 2016 referendum campaign, and taking into account the importance of the issue to a multitude of industries and economic sectors, further details are vital if the issues is to be treated properly by government figures.

In light of this shifting political landscape, Policy Connect will host an exclusive political briefing with Professor Jonathan Portes of King’s College London. Professor Portes is recognised as one of the leading commentators on British politics and immigration, and has agreed to present his views to an audience of ITI members.

Jonathan Portes started his career at HM Treasury in 1987, and spent most of his career as a civil servant, serving as Chief Economist at the Department for Work and Pensions from 2002 to 2008 and Chief Economist at the Cabinet Office from 2008 to 2011. He led the Cabinet Office’s economic analysis and economic policy work during the financial crisis and on the G20 London Summit in April 2009. From 2011 to 2015, he was Director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research. He is also a Senior Fellow of the Economic and Social Research Council's "UK in a Changing Europe" initiative. which promotes high quality research into the complex and changing relationship between the UK and the European Union.

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