Stephen Earl, of the Migrant Advisory Committee (MAC), met a group of firms at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce to discuss where they feel gaps could appear and where businesses could be left without enough staff to fulfil their potential.

It follows discussions across the Chamber’s five branches in the region as well as a series of issues that have been raised at its Brexit Club, which was set-up in the wake of the decision to leave the European Union.

Following the meeting, the MAC is requesting written evidence from businesses right across the area to let them know what potential problems they can see and whether there are other ways of filling gaps, rather than relying on immigration.

The study by the MAC will look at ways of aligning any future immigration system with a modern industrial strategy.

David Burton, who chairs the Chamber’s Brexit Club, said: “Through the Chamber’s policy work across its branch areas, the topic of immigration has been raised by a range of businesses.

“So it was great to be able to provide that anecdotal feedback to Stephen but it’s important that companies now write to the Chamber with their thoughts on immigration and Brexit because they will all be taken into account for their report.

“Our main criticism of Government, not the MAC, is that this report should have been commissioned before any referendum took place. We went into that referendum with only pure speculation on what effect Brexit might have on immigration and the labour market and more than two years on from the decision, we will actually get a report!

“Of course, there are big concerns across a range of sectors, including everything from tourism to engineering across our patch, where companies have come to rely on the skills and the labour of EU workers.

“So we are urging as many companies who can see a potential effect to feedback.”

Stephen said businesses should respond by October 27, 2017 ahead of a report being published in September 2018.

He said the MAC’s work would feed directly into the Government’s design for a future immigration system following the official EU exit date of March 2019.

Stephen said: “The MAC is independent and will base its report to Government on the evidence it receives. Evidence from business is vital to the MAC’s report and all parties with an interest in migration and migrant workers are encouraged to supply evidence.”

Pictured (left to right): David Burton, Alan Durham (both Chamber Brexit Club), Stephen Earl, Louise Bennett (Chamber)