SCOTLAND Secretary Alister Jack was accused of “Pinocchio politics” yesterday over his defence of the UK Government’s post-Brexit immigration plan.

Commentators left more than 100 reactions on the Scotland Office Twitter page to an opinion piece by Jack in Friday’s edition of The Herald newspaper.

Defending the policy, which has been condemned by Scottish councils and business bodies, Jack said it was “good news for the Scottish economy”.

He went on: “As we prepare for a bright future outside the EU, it means we will be able to recruit the people we need to do the jobs our economy relies upon.”

But what would such a change mean for his own constituency?

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The one-size-fits-all-nations-and-regions policy sets a minimum salary threshold of £25,600 for those deemed to be skilled workers.

This can drop to £20,480 for those in shortage occupations, which currently include nursing and psychology, dairy workers and fishermen.

The earnings limit is lower than that originally mooted, but remains higher than Scotland’s average wage, which is £24,440.

It’s also more than the average full-time wage for workers in Dumfries and Galloway, which Jack represents.

At £24,960, that’s short of the minimum limit and below the Scottish average for full-time employment. And the new rules will not allow visas for those regarded as low or non-skilled – including shop workers, restaurant staff, care sector employees and more.

That will come as a blow to some of the area’s key sectors. Around 11,000 people there are employed in posts related to human health and social work, making that sector the region’s biggest employer.

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The wholesale and retail trades are in second place with 10,000 workers.

As well as causing recruitment problems for employers, the Scottish Government fears that the change will have wider consequences. These include threats to the sustainability of individual enterprises, as well as the continued provision of support services in rural areas and to our ageing population.

According to the most recent figures, there was no growth to the population in Dumfries and Galloway from 1998-2008, despite a national spike of more than 7%. The same period saw a drop of almost 30% in the 25-44 age bracket, while the number of residents aged 75 and over rose by more than 40%.

And while the country’s population is expected to rise by 3.2% by 2026, analysts expect Jack’s region to decrease by 1.5%, reducing the local tax take and putting additional stresses on the council budget.

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So there are very real demographic challenges even when Brexit is out of picture. Adding it in to the mix seems to do little to improve the situation – especially when agencies in the south of Scotland are working so hard to boost the economy through initiatives like the South West Coastal 300, a newly-launched touring route that hopes to do for this part of Scotland what the North Coast 500 has done for the Highlands.

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