A cynical attempt to fool the public

THROUGHOUT this interminable referendum campaign, David Cameron has insisted time and again that he can, and will, reduce net migration to the tens of thousands, even if Britain remains a member of the EU.

He has been forced to confront this crucial issue – on which he made a solemn manifesto promise only last year – by voters concerned about the impact of migration on public services.

If it had been up to the Prime Minister, we would have endured nothing but a relentless stream of scaremongering while his ‘no-ifs, no-buts’ pledge remained largely unmentioned.

Today, we have a clear indication why. As long ago as May 2012, we learn from Steve Hilton, the Prime Minister’s former senior adviser and close personal friend, Mr Cameron was told ‘directly and explicitly’ by senior officials that it was impossible to reach the target, first announced in 2010, while Great Britain remains subject to free movement.

Taken at face value, it blows a gigantic hole in the repeated assurances that the problem was fixable. Remember, net migration currently stands at 333,000. No wonder Mr Cameron refuses to put a number on how much net migration will fall by as a result of his pathetic renegotiation with Brussels.

Mr Hilton’s account raises the distinct suspicion that the Prime Minister, quite cynically, has been less than honest on this hugely important issue. Isn’t it ironic that at the same time he has called for more ‘honesty’ from the Leave side?