Visas to live and work in Britain should be sold to the highest bidder¹ in a dramatic overhaul² of the immigration system, Conservative MPs say today.

 

An auction³ of visas among wealthy individuals and international companies, would ensure that only people able to contribute to the UK economy, the MPs suggest.

 

The proposal for a "market-based" immigration system is part of a wide-ranging plan to overhaul economic and industrial policies drawn⁴ up by a leading group of backbench Conservatives.

 

The Free Enterprise Group of MPs says that the Government should do much more to encourage competition among utility companies, banks and transport operators.

 

Tax breaks and other help from the State should be provided to make it easier for new firms to break into established markets and challenge today's big companies, the group says.

 

Public sector⁵ bodies should also be given a new obligation to help new companies grow.

 

"Britain should become the friendliest nation for start-ups in the world. Instead of fearing competition, we should encourage it," the group said in a report published today.

 

To ensure that Britain remains⁶ internationally competitiveness, immigration rules should be changed, the report suggests.

 

Selling visas to companies or individuals would be "less bureaucratic⁷ than today's system, allow the Government to control the flow through price changes and ensure that workers only entered the country if they added significant value to the economy."

 

George Freeman MP, the report's author, said that Britain must become more pro-enterprise to survive in the 21st Century.

 

"We need to do more to unleash⁸（发动，解开） an entrepreneurial ethos both in the public and private sector. This requires bold new thinking like a pro-enterprise immigration policy and a new deal for business," he said.

 

"This is how we build a global vision for developing a competitive economy and succeeding in the global race."

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