By Annabelle Dickson,Joseph Bambridge

Copyright politico

Reeves is next week expected to set out how she plans to double the number of high skilled foreign worker visas to around 18,000 a year.

Britain’s center-left government is walking a tricky tightrope on its migration policy as it faces a rising political threat from Farage’s anti-immigration Reform UK party. That’s prompted pledges to cut overall migration figures while preserving Britain’s status as an attractive destination for talent — which industry leaders argue would be a pro-growth move at a time when Reeves is trying to kick-start the U.K.’s faltering economy.

But it comes as Reform is pledging to abolish the main route for immigrants to gain British citizenship — indefinite leave to remain. While Farage is not closing off access to visas for entrepreneurs and wealth creators, and insists he wants to add routes, the lack of detail in his policy is adding to the uncertainty for employers, and individuals, deciding where to go, and eyeing his large poll lead.

In the works

Trump’s shock visa announcement has turbocharged efforts by Labour to proactively spot and lure top individuals to the country using the trade department’s international network.

A Global Talent Taskforce, co-chaired by Keir Starmer’s business adviser Varun Chandra, was set up in June to look at the barriers faced by foreign experts looking to move to the U.K.

The taskforce was already exploring plans to abolish fees for visas for “top global talent,” according to a report in the Financial Times, but since Trump’s announcement — which sparked panic in both the U.S. and India, which is the largest source of IT workers on H-1B visas — the taskforce has been reaching out to trade groups and think tanks for ideas.