Speaking to ITV for another ‘100 days of Burnham’ interview, the PM was asked if inward legal migration is too high:
“Yeah, it it’s come right down. And I think when you have planned migration, it’s difficult to say is it too high or too low because it’s got to be, if you like, following gaps in the economy because if you just put a number on it, we may have a shortage in a certain area…
It’s in a much better place than it was because boat crossings are down and net migration overall is down and down quite significantly. So there’s a much better control of it. What I have argued is that migration and illegal immigration changed significantly with Brexit. And I think we’ve got to be honest about that.”
The legal figures are still well over 150,000 a year net. British voters have backed manifestos promising tens of thousands for decades now…
Krishnan Guru-Murthy asked John Healey: “Just finally, I mean Andy Burnham has been very clear he wants Britain back in the European Union in his lifetime. Do you?”
The Chancellor replied: “I’m older than Andy Burnham. I don’t expect to see that.”