Voters were 'sold a lie' over claims that lower migration post-Brexit would improve wages, the Green Party leader Natalie Bennett has said after a Resolution Foundation report concluded that any boost in wages will be dwarfed by the overall damage to the UK's economy.
Natalie said:
"Voters were sold a lie during the EU referendum. In spite of all the evidence to the contrary, the Leave campaign fought the referendum on the argument that lower migration means higher wages - an argument that came at a high price, sowing division in our communities.
"EU migrants make a huge and vital contribution to the UK’s economy. The answer to stagnating wages is not to reduce migration, but to invest in infrastructure, rein in the excesses of multinational firms so small businesses and local economies can flourish, and introduce a real living wage.
"We benefit immensely - culturally, socially and economically - from the free movement of people in the EU, and our government should seek to protect freedom of movement in the negotiations to come while immediately ensuring that EU citizens who've made their lives here can have certainty about their futures."