London (dpa) - Business groups and pro-EU politicians criticized Prime Minister Theresa May‘s pledge on Tuesday to cut low-skilled immigration and end freedom of movement to Britain for EU citizens.May‘s office, Downing Street, said the post-Brexit policy would produce "the biggest shake-up in decades" of Britain‘s immigration system.Following a 21-month transitional period after Britain officially leaves the EU in March, "it will be this country that controls and chooses who we want to come here," May said in a statement.The government will introduce a "skills-based system where it is workers‘ skills that matter, not where they come from," she said."It will be a system that looks across the globe and attracts the people with the skills we need," May said, adding that it would "set the UK on the path to reduce immigration to sustainable levels."The Confederation of British Industry, which represents some 190,000 businesses, said May‘s policy had "taken a wrong turn" and could harm many industries."All skill levels matter to the UK economy," said Carolyn Fairbairn, the CBI‘s director-general."Today‘s proposals risk worsening labour shortages, already serious, in construction, hospitality and care," Fairbairn said, adding that it would be "self-defeating" to restrict British firms‘ access to EU workers.She cited a report to the government last week that confirmed EU workers at all skill levels "pay in more than they take out" of the British economy.Former business minister Anna Soubry, a pro-EU lawmaker from May‘s Conservative party, said May‘s policy "fails to understand how our economy works, [the] needs of British business and [the] reality of full employment.""There is no army of UK workers waiting to do unskilled jobs," Soubry tweeted, adding that the policy also ignores the "huge benefits of free movement for UK citizens.""Presumably the aim is to get British people doing the unskilled work and bring in people from overseas when we need skills - like in developing countries," opposition Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable replied to Soubry.Adam Marshall, head of the British Chambers of Commerce, said he expected businesses to take "mixed views" on May‘s plan.British businesses are already "facing severe skills gaps at every level, and must be able to recruit great people from both here at home and from overseas," Marshall said.May is expected to focus on immigration in her keynote speech at the close of her Conservative party‘s four-day annual conference on Wednesday, when she aims to rally members behind her "Chequers" proposals for Brexit.The government suggested it could also develop a US-style visa waiver system for short-term visits.May told BBC Radio 4‘s Today programme she was considering a pilot scheme for migration of seasonal agricultural workers but would not allow widespread exemptions to the new rules.The government remains committed to reducing annual net migration to below 100,000, she said.Marshall urged the government to "drop arbitrary migration caps and targets, which give many of the very people we need the sense that the UK is closed for business."
