Editorial: Government is right to cut back on immigration

​​The first asylum seekers will go on to the barge in Dorset in the coming days, the government has said.Around 50 people will enter the Bibby Stockholm vessel in Portland Port, as part of a first tranche this week. The movement of migrants on to it has been hit by delay.

The row over the barge is really a row over immigration. And the row over immigration is not merely a row between Labour and the Conservatives, but one that causes disagreement within both those parties.

This newspaper has published essays by Matthew Godwin, a once left-wing academic who has written extensively about the way in which public opposition to immigration is ignored by the political elites.

This is true also of leading Tories, many of whom proclaim their support for immigration into the UK. They do so for a number of reasons, such as to meet business and employment needs, but also perhaps because they want to trumpet their multi-cultural credentials, and to disprove any idea that they are prejudiced.

The UK is one of the most successfully racially integrated societies in the world, with much less racial antagonism than prevails in many European countries or in the United States. Rishi Sunak is testimony to the diversity of Britain, as are the many senior government ministers who come from an ethnic minority, yet who proudly serve their country at the highest levels.

But while there are strong economic arguments in favour of even more immigration, there are also powerful cultural and financial arguments against. The UK, particularly England, is one of the most densely populated countries in the world.Our infrastructure, including hospitals and schools are already struggling. The government is right to try to cut back heavily on the vast level of net migration, particularly illegal entries.