Activists burn £35,000 in fake bank notes at Home Office to protest Theresa May's new immigration rules

'Theresa May will force thousands of people to leave this country simply because they don't earn enough money'

Activists have burned £35,000 in fake bank notes with Theresa May’s face printed on them outside the Home Office, in protest at new immigration rules that come into effect today.

The campaigners, from Lesbians and Gays Support the Migrants, dressed in pink veils and black clothes as they ceremonially set alight the notes as part of what they called a "symbolic exorcism of the Home Office's fixation on money and disregard for the suffering it inflicts on ordinary people”.

Under the new immigration rules non-EU workers who come to Britain will be deported after five years if they fail to show they are earning more than £35,000 – a significant increase from the previous £20,800 threshold. Campaigners claim it will starve Britain of vital talent in the teaching, charity and entrepreneur sectors.

These migrants need a work sponsor, are not entitled to receive public funds, have to pay a health surcharge to access the NHS and must also put up a sizeable fee – sometimes in excess of £1,000 – to have their visas extended by a year.

Last month the Home Secretary ducked a key debate in Westminster Hall, over the controversial policy, after more than 100,000 people signed an online petition expressing anger at the measure, which Labour has called “ill-considered, destructive and discriminatory”.

Morten Thaysen from Lesbians and Gays Support the Migrants said to The Independent: "With this new law, Theresa May will force thousands of people to leave this country simply because they don't earn enough money.

"We should be welcoming the people who run our essential services, not discriminate against people based on their paycheques".

The group of activists style themselves on the 1980s Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners to “stand in solidarity with migrants and refugees”. The group also uses “creative action to disrupt the prevailing right-wing media narrative which pits LGBTQIA+ people against migrants”.

“The government is creating a divided society where something as essential as the freedom of movement and the right to work is dictated by the size of your paycheque,” said Alex Williams, another member of the group.

“We have come a long way in terms on stopping discrimination against people based on sexuality – why should we now discriminate based on how much money people take home each month?”

A spokesperson for the Home Office said to the Independent: “In the past it has been too easy for some businesses to bring in workers from overseas rather than to take the long-term decision to train our workforce here at home.”

This morning we burned £35k of fake bank notes printed with the face of home secretary Theresa May in protest over a new...

Posted by Lesbians and Gays Support the Migrants on Wednesday, 6 April 2016

They added: “That is why we changed the settlement rules in 2012 to break the link between coming to work in the UK and staying here permanently.

"These reforms will ensure that businesses are able to attract the skilled migrants they need, but we also want them to get far better at recruiting and training UK workers first.”

Former Cabinet minister Alistair Carmichael, who was David Cameron's Scottish Secretary before the election, told The Independent in January that discriminating on the basis of income would harm the UK’s place at the “forefront of the global economy”, while shadow immigration minister Keir Starmer said there were “real concerns” over how key industries would be affected.

“With this new law, the Home Office clearly shows that they value money over ordinary people,” said activist Sam Bjorn. “We’re outraged that people who’ve been running essential services will face deportation.”