Sunak proposes a new target to reduce net migration to less than 500,000 people.

The Prime Minister made the comment ahead of the G7 summit in Hiroshima. Photo: Kenny Holston

Mr Sunak defended the government's reputation for immigration, adding: «When someone comes here, it's up to us to decide why they're here, what they do when they're here, what they contribute to NHS. So we're actually in control of all these conditions in a way we couldn't before.”

There are deep divisions in the cabinet over immigration, with Home Secretary Swella Braverman giving a prominent speech. Conservative conferences to call for the training of more British truck drivers and fruit pickers.

But Chancellor Jeremy Hunt argued that Britain should be «pragmatic» in filling key industry gaps with foreign workers.