EU workers often do not have family commitments and are more flexible with hours

Low-skilled EU migrants willing to work unsociable hours should get priority over others in a post-Brexit immigration system, a think tank has said.

Migrants coming to jobs involving evening, night and weekend shifts in areas such as food manufacturing would be given preference for two-year “low skill” work permits. Professional workers from the EU would be allowed to come to the UK on a permit that would last for five years, the Policy Exchange proposed.

The report said that migrants from central and eastern Europe were “often here mainly to earn money and many do not have family responsibilities, unlike most British workers (whose in-work benefits may also decline sharply if they work too many hours)”. It added: “Why not make a virtue of these