Brexit latest

On the day the Conservatives put out an ad saying EU migration needs to be reduced to stop drain on resources and jobs, the latest immigration figures were released showing that EU immigration is at a quarter of what it was before the referendum.

But non-EU immigration had increased to the point where net immigration had barely been reduced.

EU citizens come over here to work, pay taxes, rent or buy homes. There is very little evidence that anything more than a tiny fraction come here to claim benefits of for what is called “health tourism”, with many of the poorer paid and educated working in places like hospitals doing the jobs that we UK citizens don’t want to do.

Their NI contributions go to pay for the NHS, their taxes go to pay for other services whilst their renting and buying houses or flats keeps the housing market buoyant, so homeowners see their investment going up and up.

Without them there is a short fall of staff, NI contributions, taxes and people to rent and buy. I mean, its almost like there is no negative impact at all in EU citizens, except in the minds of gammons and brexiteers.

The PM is now dodging interviews, debates and anything that is going to show him in a bad light, which seems to be him goofing around on heavily choreographed visits to hospitals or schools where it all a photographic opportunity, and interaction with any “ordinary” members of the public is avoided.

If the media fails to hold the Prime Minister to Scrutiny but is happy enough to hold the various opposition leaders to scrutiny, or hold them to different standards, then it fails to serve the electorate or democracy. This week the BBC has interviewed three of the opposition leaders, without getting cast iron assurances that the PM would do the same on the 4th evening. Allowing him to cry off.