Tim Farron has slammed government plans to curb the number of people coming to the UK as a ‘hammer blow’ to hospitality businesses in the Lake District.

The Home Secretary James Cleverly unveiled new proposals to reduce immigration to the UK on Monday (December 4) with under the proposed plans the minimum salary needed to get a skilled worker visa will rise from £26,200 to £38,700 next year.

Figures released in November showed net migration had soared to a record 745,000 in 2022 and Mr Cleverly said under the new proposals 300,000 people who came last year would not be able to do so.

Speaking in the House of Commons, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale Tim Farron said: “These proposals or some of them at least will be met with absolute horror in the Lake District hospitality and tourism industry.

“20 million people visit our communities every year, three and a half billion-pound industry and because of the failure of this government to provide sufficient, affordable homes for local people and to have stupid visa rules, we now have a massive workforce crisis.

“Two thirds of our businesses are unable to meet the demand that they have because of inadequate numbers of workers.

“Has he spoken to anybody working and managing in the in the Lakes hospitality industry or does he not care what they think?"

In response, Home Secretary James Cleverly said: "Madam Deputy Speaker, my right honourable friend the Immigration Minister met with the Lake District Tourist Board. So in specific answer to his question. Yes, he has spoken to them.

“And the point is and the simple truth of the matter is we have analysed the figures, we know which sectors have brought in the most people, the hospitality sector is an incredibly important sector in the UK, a fantastic employer of local people.”

Other plans announced by government include tightening the Health and Care Worker visa by preventing overseas care workers from bringing their dependants to the UK and the migration advisory committee will be asked to review the graduate visa route to ensure it works in the best interests of the UK.

Mr Cleverly said: “My plan will deliver the biggest ever reduction in net migration and will mean around 300,000 people who came to the UK last year would not have been able to do so.

I am taking decisive action to halt the drastic rise in our work visa routes and crack down on those who seek to take advantage of our hospitality.”

After the parliamentary session Mr Farron said: “If the Immigration Minister has spoken to our hospitality industry then he clearly wasn’t listening.

“These rules will serve as a hammer blow to local businesses who are already struggling to recruit the staff they need to operate.”