The British government wants to implement an immigration regime under which controls would be applied to both skilled and unskilled European workers, the Guardian understands.



Ministers have told colleagues they want a tough system that is profoundly different to the one that currently exists, with restrictions at all levels.

But sources have suggested that they and officials are now looking at a regime in which European citizens would be treated preferentially to migrants coming to the UK from the rest of the world.

Theresa May wants free movement to be a red line in Brexit negotiations and has been reported to support the idea of EU citizens being able to travel freely for holidays, to study or to marry, but with a robust visa scheme for those wanting to work.

The Guardian understands that there have also been discussions about a second, more liberal immigration system under which free movement would stay but with an “emergency brake” if immigration levels became unacceptably high.

The system, which would have a registration system for EU nationals, goes beyond what David Cameron proposed in his renegotiation but is in line with concepts that have been used by other countries with access to the single market.



However, May has told cabinet colleagues that while the emergency brake scheme should be kept on the table, it is not her preferred option as it does not provide an adequate shift from what already exists. Amber Rudd, the home secretary, has also said privately that she does not want an emergency brake implemented.

Ministers also favour controls in place at all skill levels despite calls from some politicians and business figures to allow free movement of more qualified workers.

The question of what Britain’s immigration looks like is at the heart of an ongoing battle between MPs and business leaders who campaigned for Brexit, not least because its toughness could dictate the level of economic access granted to Britain.

The prime minister of Malta, Joseph Muscat, became the most recent European leader to argue that curbing immigration would mean the UK would have to leave the single market.

The campaign group Open Britain has advocated an emergency brake because it is a concept that has been used for non-EU countries that are still part of the European Economic Area and so have access to the single market.

Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrat leader, responded to the latest suggestion by saying that the government was heading towards a hard Brexit if it was unwilling to maintain an open system. “Cracking down on skilled workers will hurt our economy. What makes Britain best is when we are open, tolerant and looking towards the world,” he said.

Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, will warn on Wednesday that he will push for a special deal for the capital if the government fails to ensure it has adequate access to skilled workers.



“London’s businesses must retain access to the skilled workforce they need in order to grow – it’s absolutely essential to protecting jobs, growth and tax revenues across Britain over the next decade,” Khan will say in a speech to the Institute of Directors.



“I will keep pushing the government to recognise this vital need in their negotiating position – but it doesn’t look like they are listening.” He will say that if that continues he will look for a “London-specific solution” with the City of London corporation suggesting a visa system that varies by region.

But Brexit-supporting MPs said it was right to put in place restrictions, even for skilled workers. Peter Lilley, a Tory MP on parliament’s Brexit committee, argued that access to cheap skilled labour had allowed British employers to “put training on the backburner”.

He argued that the result was that countries such as Germany, Switzerland and Sweden had four times the proportion of technically and vocationally skilled workers, which he said was a disaster in Britain’s education system.

He also said it was important to cut back on migration levels because of shortages of housing. However, he was not supportive of any better treatment for European citizens over those in other parts of the world.

“Our current system is racist and would continue to be racist if we had a system with preference for EU.”

If the plans are agreed they could cause concern among other Brexit supporters who told British people with Commonwealth heritage that they were being unfairly discriminated against in the immigration system during the referendum campaign. The issue persuaded Bangladesh restaurant owners to come out in favour of Brexit.”

John Springford, the director of research at the Centre for European Reform, argued that it seemed likely that May would consider a preferential system for Europeans because if not they would face getting no more than a “basic free trade deal” from the EU27.

He also argued that restrictions on skilled workers were also likely if the prime minister wanted to achieve her goal to heavily reduce net migration to the tens of thousands.

“We have one of the most highly skilled immigrant populations in the developed world, with the highest numbers of people with degrees, so if you are serious about trying to get down to below 100,000 you will have to reduce the number of skilled migrants that come from the EU,” he said. “If you want to reduce the numbers you’ll need a significantly different regime.”