Cambridge University and Anglia Ruskin will benefit from Labour’s sensible approach to immigration unveiled by Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper today, says Cambridge Labour Parliamentary Candidate Daniel Zeichner. Of particular significance to Cambridge will be Labour’s promise to take international fee-paying students out of net migration targets. This has been a constant source of complaint from universities who have seen a sharp fall-off as students, particularly from India and Pakistan, have turned to other more welcoming countries.

Ms Cooper said:  “We want to see more fee paying university students. Higher education is one of Britain’s biggest exports worth over £10 billion a year. And business leaders from across the globe were educated at Britain’s universities. It is deeply damaging to our economy that the number of fee paying overseas students has fallen at a time when the international market is growing. That is why university students should be removed immediately from the net migration target. And why we will consult on applying different targets and controls to different kinds of immigration so we can help our Universities compete in a growing global market.”

Mr Zeichner says that the policy pursued by the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in Government has damaged Cambridge: “This foolish and ill-thought through policy hasn’t worked, and has led to students across the world thinking that Britain is closed. That is a terrible message for a global city like Cambridge. The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats should make the change now, but if they won’t, Labour will.”