It will come as no surprise to readers sitting at home that migration isn’t always an unalloyed economic good. Of course there are plenty of migrants who come to the UK to work, strive hard, and do wonders for the economy. But given that of the 750,000 visas granted last year only 150,000 were work visas, even the most enthusiastic proponent of migration could hardly argue that all incomers are expanding the country’s coffers. It’s true that as a rule, migration grows the overall size of the economy – but really, that doesn’t mean very much. Imagine the economy as a birthday cake, and the popu…
