James Gray MP (writing 14th December) rather lays bare the chaos of the government’s promises to “take back control” of immigration with an estimated net inflow of over 600,000 in 2022.

First, do some intelligent primary school arithmetic: take out the students, who are an investment in our future influence, bearing high fees vital to the finances of our cash strapped universities; then take out the Hong Kongers, Afghans and Ukrainians to whom we have extended a deliberate hand of friendship; then take out the low paid care workers who are vital to our cash strapped social services; then there will be scientists and doctors etc of quality, bringing potential skills. Then and only then tell me if we have a problem.

It passes serious belief that desperate people seeking a better life who have crawled, some over years, half-way across the world to the mud in Calais will be deterred at that very last stage by the lottery of possible removal to Rwanda. The stick waving, and the astonishing money now nearing £300 million so far, has had no discernible effect. And with this the government are seeking also to trash our reputation as a country of laws.

Let us instead spend money on an attack of military precision on the criminals across Europe who exploit desperate people; on return deals as with the success in Albania; on legal ways in which applications for UK entry can be made in countries of origin; on recovering the vast scandalous Home Office backlog of asylum applications and deporting those already refused permission to stay; and on rebuilding our shattered foreign aid programme.

As, woken up by the government’s posturing and endless blame seeking, there are now an awful lot of rather nasty people on the prowl here I regret for my family’s sake to ask for anonymity.

Yous faithfully.

Name and address supplied,