Proof why we must take back control of borders

WHEN our borders were opened to Romania and Bulgaria this newspaper warned that huge numbers of their citizens would move to Britain. The liberal establishment sneered at these concerns and said repeatedly that the number of people making the journey would not be significant.

The statistics show who was right. There are now 413,000 people from Romania and Bulgaria alone living here in Britain, a statistic that would have been unthinkable even 10 years ago. This is clear proof of the importance of winning back border controls from Brussels and making sure that in future our immigration system operates in the national interest.

Hopefully all EU citizens living here will be given the right to stay after Brexit is completed. They came here in good faith, have contributed much to this country and laid down roots. Nobody wants them to leave.

However, that is not to say that the current system of allowing enormous numbers of people to move here every year can be allowed to continue. The influx of European migrants has put huge pressure on our public services and housing stock.

It has also placed a burden on taxpayers who have had to fund the benefits of those who are either unemployed or in low-paid work.

It is time to take back control of our borders and start bringing the immigration statistics down. This must be a red line in the Brexit discussions.