Downing Street today struggled to produce statistics to back up David Cameron’s claim that Britain was a soft touch for immigrants.
As the Prime Minister launched a new crackdown on access to benefits and the NHS for foreigners, No 10 offered few numbers to back up his argument. Those it did produce sparked accusations that it was being misleading.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said there had been a 40 per cent rise in the proportion of social housing lettings going to migrants in the four years to 2012. Under questioning, the spokesman said that represented a rise from 6.5 per cent of the total in 2008 to 9 per cent.
Separately, he said the amount of money the NHS was trying to recoup from