Yvette Cooper MP, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, commenting on the net migration figures published today said:

“David Cameron is taking people for fools. On the day he has promised yet again to cut net migration to the tens of thousands, these figures show it is over three times that target. Both EU and non-EU net migration are considerably higher than in June 2010, after five years of David Cameron and Theresa May’s broken promises. This massive gap between rhetoric and reality, between promise and delivery, just destroys trust in anything Ministers say on immigration.

“While the Government have attempted to copy some of Labour’s plans on tackling exploitation or illegal immigration, no one will believe their plans for enforcement. They are still ignoring the problem of employers exploiting legal migration to undercut local wages and jobs - we need a new offence of exploitation to make the system fair for all.

“Promises consistently broken by the Prime Minister and the Conservative Party simply erode public trust, and make it easier for UKIP and others to exploit people’s concerns. Immigration is important for Britain, that’s why it needs to be controlled and managed so the system is fair. Rather than empty promises, David Cameron should be taking sensible, practical steps to make sure the system is controlled, managed and fair.”