We must not forget the benefits of immigration

SIR – I hope Theresa May takes into consideration how many people from the European Union and further afield are required in order to keep Britain functioning.

Where would we be without those prepared to work in the restaurants, nursing and retirement homes, hospitals and hotels?

We should also remember those who come and work on the farms, making sure that we have fresh produce on the shop shelves. This is work that nobody here is prepared to do. Sue Fletcher Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

SIR – Christopher Booker’s analysis of immigration to Britain (Review, May 7) not only highlights how intractable the problem has become but also the abject failure of our political elite to explain the full consequences of rising net migration.

Those in politics and the business community who want free movement to continue have a duty to explain to the electorate why this country needs to accept an increasing population – and how it can do so. Paul Farrow Lincoln

SIR – Mr Booker views the mass movement of people as an unstoppable force of nature.

This is nonsense. Before the millennium, Britain functioned no worse than now with a net immigration rate of around 40,000. Controls could be as easily re-imposed as they were discarded.

Global corporatism likes to operate in the context of an ever-increasing population. This is why the EU’s rulers welcome the movement of populations from the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa into Europe.

In a few years, however, when the millions of people allowed in by Angela Merkel invoke their right to family reunion, she will be regarded in Germany as Tony Blair is in Britain: little consolation to those suffering the consequences of their folly. Chris Jones Croydon, Surrey