This week the government unveiled its latest draconian plan to curb immigration: banning those who come to the UK to work in the care sector from bringing their family, including children and spouses, with them.
The plan has rightfully provoked outrage, but it’s not entirely new: its roots lie in historical slavery, in which enslaved people were separated from their own biological families, treated as commodities to be used for work and allowed nothing more.
It’s plausible that the plan, announced by home secretary James Cleverly on Monday, won’t reduce applicants for the health and care visa by much. In a globally unequal world, migrating to the UK for this arduous and underpaid work might still be someone’s best bet for a better future.
