Rishi Sunak will not bring down mind-boggling immigration numbers for a long while — and they would RISE under Labour

Migrant woe

IF like most people you think recent ­immigration has been too high and must be cut, tough luck.

Those mind-boggling totals will not come down for a long while under Rishi Sunak — and would RISE under Labour, as the party staggeringly admits.

In 2016 the 17.4million majority voted for Brexit in part to take back control of our borders after the “free movement” era.

Most didn’t want migrant numbers slashed to zero.

The Sun argued only that we should regulate the flow to suit our economy’s needs.

No one anticipated that meant ­doubling or tripling the annual total, as we have.

Indeed the winning Tory ­manifesto of 2019 pledged to cut it.

But the Government appears incapable of doing as it promised and as the public demanded.

And Labour simply does not want to.

Its chairwoman Anneliese Dodds said yesterday that in power they would increase the intake to fill jobs.

Nothing has been learned from Tony Blair flooding the economy with cheap migrant workers, leaving millions of Brits on benefits, depressing pay and causing huge discontent.

We are back there, seemingly unable to change course.

The PM says his focus is on what REALLY riles the public, illegal immigration from small boats. Fair enough.

But he simply must not underestimate the fury generated by the impact of unsustainable numbers of newcomers on housing, the NHS and public ­services already on their knees.

We blame no one who arrives legally.

But Britain cannot just absorb this influx without colossal new investment, which we do not seem remotely able to afford.

Bias on boats

TO most BBC staff, the small boats are packed with traumatised women and children, all war refugees whom Tory politicians are too evil to house in their own homes.

It must baffle them to see scores of fit young men sauntering into the country.

But their coverage of that, or the Rwanda deterrent, is rarely troubled by inconvenient reality.

It’s just a battering ram against the Government they hate.

So we welcome the review into whether “due impartiality is being delivered”.

But we can save it some time: “No”.

Which should free up a few hours to fillet the Brexit coverage too.

Air we go

FIGHTER jets may be the game-changer Ukraine needs to finally push Russia back inside its own borders.

So it is great news Joe Biden has given the nod for US-designed F16s to be sent.

Given his distaste for foreign wars the President has been surprisingly steadfast in helping defend the free West from Putin’s imperialist brutality.

We only hope that view prevails, whether Biden wins next year’s election or not.