Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Osborne admits net migration target is impossible without EU reform

George Osborne’s interview today with the Sun on Sunday does show the Conservatives are starting to see a little bit of sense about their net migration target. They’re starting to realise that they aren’t going to meet it when they can only control non-EU migration. It’s surprising, really, that it’s taken them so long to realise that the target was going to be a bit tricky to meet. In this week’s magazine, Douglas Murray argues that Cameron will need to listen – really listen – to voters’ concerns about immigration if he is to have a hope of winning next year:

‘Because the deep, underlying story of last week is clear: the British public have made the connection between the EU and mass immigration. They do not like the latter and they blame it on the former. For years polls have continued to show that the vast majority of the British public want immigration reduced. The figures are always similar and we are — it is important to note — never talking about a minority opinion here. One recent poll showed that 77 per cent of the public want immigration reduced, while 78 per cent said that England is overcrowded and a staggering 85 per cent say that immigration is placing too much pressure on public services. It takes an absolutely blind political class not to see what the public can most certainly see.

‘Unfortunately for the Conservative party, they appear to be led by just such people.’

But it is still significant that the Chancellor has said the following:

‘We are delivering on the policy, and the key dimension to it which we now need to deliver on is the European aspect.

‘That requires renegotiation of our membership of the EU and an in-out referendum so the British people have their say.

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