Immigration controls

SIR – Setting a numerical target for immigration (report, May 8) is pointless and will lead to challenges from opposition parties.

What we should have is controlled immigration, so that we welcome those with jobs to come to Britain. The problem with the EU is that it insists on free movement for everyone. That has to stop.

The EU has 1.2million resident British nationals, spread across the Continent. We have 3.2million EU immigrants in our small country. No wonder we do not have enough housing, school places and hospital beds. If the EU rulers – that is, Angela Merkel – cannot see that, for us, this is an unsustainable burden, then we are better off out of the EU. Gillian Lurie Westgate-on-sea, Kent SIR – Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, has described immigration as an “absolute positive” for Britain.

I doubt many of those who voted for Brexit would agree with that. Gary Spring Southgate, Glamorgan SIR – It has been suggested that if we reach a deal with the EU over our respective citizens’ rights, we will have to give up our sovereignty to the EU courts, as any agreement will need to be enforced by law.

This is not the case. What would happen, surely, is that the British Government would insist on the rights of our citizens living in the EU being protected under EU law, while the rights of EU citizens in Britain would be protected under our law.

We have many citizens living in countries throughout the world, and nowhere do we seek jurisdiction over their courts. Nor should we. Alex Dempsey

Chalgrove, Oxfordshire