Calls to cut immigration

Most Britons want to see immigration reduced, but think the government should focus on cutting the number of illegal immigrants and asylum seekers instead of foreign students and skilled workers, a survey will show today.

Half of those who want to see immigration reduced said most or even all of the cuts should come from among illegal immigrants, research by Oxford University’s Migration Observatory found.

And of the three in ten people who do not want to see immigration cut, three-fifths still want to cut the number of migrants in the UK illegally, with two-fifths feeling strongly about this.

Prime Minister David Cameron appealed for the public to “shop” illegal immigrants last week as he pledged to reclaim Britain’s borders, urging Britons to help tackle the issue by reporting suspicious individuals.