Bright Blue, the independent think tank for liberal conservatism and conservative modernisers, calls on the Government to abandon the net migration target, whilst controlling and reducing migration.

Bright Blue proposes that migrants should pay a new class of National Insurance for two years which would provide extra funding to help local communities struggling with substantial levels of immigration.

Commenting on the latest ONS immigration figures, Ryan Shorthouse, Director of Bright Blue, said:

"The British public want a controlled and contributory-based immigration system. Whilst the Government should reduce immigration, it needs to abandon its flagship net migration target. It is arbitrary and indiscriminate. As it has consistently not been met since its introduction, the net migration target is also eroding public faith in the capability of our government to control migration.

"The public do not have the same attitudes to different sorts of migrants. Instead of lumping migrants all in the same box, the Government should develop targets - on gross numbers and the visa process - for different types of migrants: workers, students, asylum applicants and refugees, and family migrants.

“Brexit provides an opportunity to control EU migration. In its negotiation, Government should push strongly for the UK to have access to the single market and have an emergency brake on EU migration.

“The public will also want to see the benefits of immigration being used to address the challenges. That’s why migrants should pay a new class of National Insurance for two years which would provide extra funding to help local communities struggling with substantial levels of immigration.”