Fear of immigration is no reason for Britain to leave Europe

Yet, as the Centre for European Reform’s report on The economic consequences of leaving the EU showed, the view that immigration from the EU has imposed huge net economic costs on the UK is utterly unfounded.

This does not mean it has made a large net contribution to the economic welfare of those already resident. That is more debatable: the evidence is that the preponderance of the benefits of immigration accrue to migrants themselves. But the presence of hard-working and ambitious people speaking a multitude of languages and offering a diversity of cultures, while fitting within the predominantly liberal culture of the UK, should surely be welcome.