Business welcomes U-turn over naming of foreign staff

Business groups have welcomed a government U-turn on “naming and shaming” UK firms that rely on migrant workers, but warned the Home Office risked sending the wrong message to companies.

Education Secretary Justine Greening on Sunday said companies would not have to publish data on the number of foreign staff they employ as suggested in a widely criticised speech by Home Secretary Amber Rudd last week.

Dr Adam Marshall, acting director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, said that showed businesses’ concerns were being recognised, but called for other policies, such as possible clampdowns on foreign students and skilled workers, to be reconsidered.

“When the tone you get from government is one that suggests that the UK is closed for business or is pulling back from global markets, that influences business confidence,” Marshall said.

“We’ve certainly gotten a lot of calls from people very dismayed about the tone of a lot of what we’ve heard.”