The Scottish National Party (SNP) has challenged the Conservative Party's plans to double the Skills Immigration Charge.

In its General Election manifesto, the SNP pledged to lobby for the scrapping of the Charge, which commits employers to pay £1,000 per non-EEA worker each year.

Welcoming the SNP's move, Director of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) in Scotland Gordon Nelson said the combat the current skills shortage crisis, for the foreseeable firms will need access to migrant labour "without having to overcome enormous financial and bureaucratic hurdles".

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"The SNP is right to criticise the Tories' plans to increase the levy on skilled migrant labour as such an increase would be very damaging to construction SMEs," he said.

"Similarly, we share the SNP's concern that the Skills Immigration Charge could be extended to EU citizens post-Brexit. EU workers have come to form a vital part of the construction industry's workforce and not just in London, but also in Scotland and throughout the UK. If the Immigration Charge was to be extended in this way, a Conservative Government would effectively be obstructing the ability of construction SMEs to recruit non-UK labour."

Mr Nelson added this "would be disastrous for the industry" and a major blow for both UK and Scottish Government's to deliver infrastructure and housing targets.

"SNP MPs must make the argument to whichever party forms the next Government that access to skilled migrant labour will be vital to the Scottish construction industry's prospects," he concluded.

(LM)