Government responsibility

Sir, - Dr John Cameron is right to say that immigration benefits the UK economy, but I wonder if he realises the extent to which circumstances which are beneficial to the economy are not necessarily beneficial to citizens?

My working life was spent in the construction industry, and my company worked the length and breadth of the UK. It was frequently necessary to send squads of workers to sites far from home, often for quite protracted periods. During these times they would stay in B&Bs, or for longer stays, they would rent a flat or house on a short-term basis.

Squads of foreign workers would do the same, but once established they would cram in large numbers of their colleagues.

As they all contributed to the rent, their costs, per head, were minimal. They were – nearly – always good tradesmen, they worked long hours and their spartan lifestyle reduced their living costs and allowed them to undercut UK workers, who had to support homes and families. They were good for the economy but bad for the UK workforce.

People trying to get back into employment after a period on benefits are also badly affected. We have all heard of the “benefit trap”, where families lose all benefits if one family member goes back to work. No one is suggesting this is the fault of immigrants, but people returning to work from a spell on benefits rarely receive high wages, and a family that suddenly finds that one income has to pay for everything is not helped if wages are depressed by immigrant labour. Again, the economy benefits, but not the UK worker.

I do not know what the answer to all of this might be. Immigrants are not bad people, they mean no harm, they are simply trying to make a living. But when we consider what is good for the economy, we should perhaps bear in mind that the first responsibility of any government is to look after its citizens, and it is surely reasonable to suggest that a successful economy should do that.

In this age of mass displacement of people

A good start would be to rigidly enforce the living wage for all employees, with severe sanctions against employers using cheap labour. Until that is done, immigrant labour will continue to simultaneously boost the economy and damage our vulnerable citizens

and widespread terrorism, border control is not a sop to xenophobia, nor is it a symptom of “incoherent Brexiteering”, it is an essential precaution. UK workers, especially those in low-paid or insecure employment, are absolutely entitled to expect that their Government will protect their interests, and are equally entitled to vote in an election or referendum in the way they believe is in their best interests.

A good start would be to rigidly enforce the living wage for all employees, with severe sanctions against employers using cheap labour. Until that is done, immigrant labour will continue to simultaneously boost the economy and damage our vulnerable citizens.

Graham M McLeod. 61 Muirs, Kinross.