TORY SPLIT OVER NEW TOUGH RULES FOR MIGRANTS

'Other countries say we're far too generous'

- Sam Lister

TOUGHER immigration rules have been blocked by the Treasury, according to a senior Tory source.

Ministers have clashed over proposed reforms to reduce record net migration numbers. Suella Braverman's Home Office wants migrant workers to face a £2,700 annual fee for using the NHS as well as a significant increase in the amount they must earn to qualify for a visa.

But Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is resisting plans to tighten the "generous" system in case it derails his attempts to put the economy back on track.

A source said: "The points-based system is far too generous. Other countries think we are too generous.

"We need to make changes to make it tougher, such as on the health surcharge and raising the salary threshold. But the Treasury is the block."

A Treasury source said it was "not aware" of any issue relating to migration reforms that the Treasury or Chancellor is "blocking".

Net migration - the difference between the number of people arriving and those leaving hit a record 606,000 last year.

Tory MPs yesterday launched a report calling for more action to reduce numbers drastically.

The New Conservatives group claimed British employers had become "addicted" to "cheap labour" and argued it was time to "turn off the taps" of low-skilled workers arriving from abroad.

They set out a 12-point plan to cut numbers, including increasing the salary threshold for migrant workers and raising the health surcharge.

The Daily Express understands Home Office ministers have already floated both proposals but are frustrated at resistance from the Treasury.

Visa and immigration applicants are currently charged £624 a year for using the health service.

Raising that to £2,700 would be a "fairer" reflection of the costs, a source said.

The minimum a skilled worker must earn to secure a visa in the UK is £26,200.