Britain needs to train truck drivers and fruit pickers to boost economy, says Braverman

More Britons need to be trained as lorry drivers, fruit pickers and butchers so Britain does not have to rely on foreign workers to fill jobs, Suella Braverman will tell a Conservative conference on Monday.

The Secretary of the Interior will use speech in London to say that the UK “must not forget how to do things for itself”, arguing that there is no need to rely on “low-skilled foreign labour” to fill vacancies in sectors such as transport, cutting or agriculture.

Ms Braverman will address the National Conservative Conference on Monday alongside senior Tory ministers deputiesright wing commentators and others who come days after Rishi Sunaka’s party lost almost 1000 councilors in local elections.

Her performance at the three-day event takes place in the middle unrest in the party resumedwith Brexiteers angered by the decision to scale back post-Brexit plans to repeal EU laws.

The Conservative Democratic Party conference held last weekend and organized mainly by supporters of the former prime minister Boris Johnsonalso heard criticism of Mr. Sunak and the party leadership.

Some of Ms Braverman’s cabinet colleagues have called for easing visa rules after Brexit in a bid to stimulate the economy.

She is expected to tell the conference: “I voted and campaigned for Brexit because I wanted Britain to control migration. So that we can all say what works for our country.

“Highly skilled workers contribute to economic growth. Fact.

“But we need to reduce overall immigration. And we must not forget how to do things for ourselves.

“There is no good reason why we cannot train enough truck drivers, butchers or fruit pickers. Brexit allows us to build a high-skilled, high-wage economy that is less dependent on low-skilled foreign labour.

“That was our 2019 manifesto promise and something we have to deliver.”

Her comments also come as ministers are reportedly preparing for official figures released later in May showing net migration of between 650,000 and 997,000.

That would surpass the previous peak of 504,000 in the year to June 2022, and the numbers are likely to put fresh pressure on Mr Sunak.

The Minister of Internal Affairs will also respond at critics of her language and rhetoric, with Ms Braverman expected to argue that wanting to control Britain’s borders is “not racist”.

She will also say that there is nothing wrong with someone from an ethnic minority making such arguments.

Ms Braverman said: “It is not a xenophobic claim that mass and rapid migration is unsustainable in terms of housing, services and social relations.

“It is also not bigoted to say that there are too many people coming here illegally and asking for asylum and we don’t have enough housing for them.

“I am not ashamed to say that I love Britain. Not one true conservative. If someone, ethnic minority or otherwise, wants to control our borders, that is not racism.

“I reject the left’s argument that it is hypocritical for someone from an ethnic minority to know these facts; speak these truths.

“My parents came here through legal and controlled migration. They spoke the language. They threw themselves into the community, adopted British values.

“When they arrived, they signed up to our joint project because Britain meant something to them. The integration was part of the quid pro quo.”

The government’s “stop the boats” approach has come under fresh criticism in recent days after the Archbishop of Canterbury weighed to label the ministers’ plans as “morally unacceptable and politically inexpedient.”

This happened during a debate in the House of Lords The bill on illegal migrationwhich aims to ensure that people arriving in the UK without permission are detained and quickly removed either to their home country or to a third country such as Rwanda.