Immigration figures criticised

MEP Paul Nuttall, UKIP deputy leader

Controversial figures over the financial impact of immigration on this country are in many ways irrelevant, said UKIP deputy leader Paul Nuttall today.

A new report has shown that immigrants from outside Europe have cost the public purse £117.9 billion over 17 years and another study claims recent immigration from Europe gave the economy a £4.4 billion boost over the same period.

"The report about immigration from European Economic Area (EEA) has already come under criticism from Citivas and MigrationWatch UK with the latter pointing out that the contribution to the Exchequer from those migrants amounts to less than £1 a week per head of population," said Mr Nuttall, North West MEP.

"It is said that they pay more in tax than they take in benefits but the problem is the wage compression resulting from the large number of migrants. And also it results in displacement in the jobs market, with large sections of Britain's workforce being substituted with migrant labour and ending up jobless.

"The problems with statistics are well known and quite frankly the real issue is that this country is full. We must regain control over our borders, no matter wherever in the world people are from.

"We are not against immigration as such, this country has always had migrants moving here and they have played a valuable role in our nation. But the influx in recent years has been too massive and must be controlled.

"People wanting to live here with skills we need are welcome but we need proper controls, such as a skills-based points system. And, of course, we must leave the EU, for as Brussels has made clear, freedom of movement is non-negotiable," he said.