'than we thought much fuller than we thought before the election, and now today what we have found is another incredible legacy failure which is record numbers of immigration. it is ourjob now to turn it around and we will. thank you. amy from itv? prime minister, you're here today— prime minister, you're here today to _ prime minister, you're here today to talk about immigration. are you going to set a — immigration. are you going to set a cap— immigration. are you going to set a cap on net migration, and if not. — set a cap on net migration, and if not. how— set a cap on net migration, and if not, how will the public know _ if not, how will the public know if— if not, how will the public know if you have been successful in delivering your promises? and a follow—up question— promises? and a follow—up question on what is potentially a landmark day tomorrow on assisted _ a landmark day tomorrow on assisted dying, has your view on this— assisted dying, has your view on this changed since you voted on this changed since you voted on this— on this changed since you voted on this in— on this changed since you voted on this in 2015?| on this changed since you voted on this in 2015?— on this in 2015? i want to see immigration _ on this in 2015? i want to see immigration come _ on this in 2015? i want to see immigration come down - immigration come down significantly. i said that before the election and i said that during the election and i say it again here today. that means bearing down on the influences that have driven up this high with the measures i set out a moment ago. we have a

supposed cap in place for the best part of a decade and it didn't have any meaningful impact on reducing immigration. i don't think setting an arbitrary cap, which is what previous governments have done, is the way forward. but do i want it to reduce significantly? yes i do, and thatis significantly? yes i do, and that is what our plan will achieve. in relation to assisted dying the vote is coming up tomorrow. the government is neutral on this and it is a genuinely free vote for all members of parliament and i don't want to put pressure on them. i have got a huge amount of interest and experience in this, having looked at every single case for five years that was ever investigated. i will therefore be casting my vote tomorrow. thank you. chris.— thank you. chris. you say you want net _ thank you. chris. you say you want net migration _ thank you. chris. you say you want net migration to - thank you. chris. you say you want net migration to fall. - thank you. chris. you say you | want net migration to fall. the obr, _ want net migration to fall. the obr, which forecasts these

numbers, forecast 350,000 net migrants — numbers, forecast 350,000 net migrants arriving here until 2028-29. migrants arriving here until 2028—29. nearly twice the number— 2028—29. nearly twice the number of 2019. what level are you happy— number of 2019. what level are you happy with? when you cut it back_ you happy with? when you cut it back to — you happy with? when you cut it back to 29 — you happy with? when you cut it back to 29 levels in when will that — back to 29 levels in when will that happen by? we back to 29 levels in when will that happen by?— that happen by? we are intending _ that happen by? we are intending to _ that happen by? we are intending to drive - that happen by? we are intending to drive these i intending to drive these numbers down. they are far too high and signal a loss of control. that is what these policies are designed to achieve and that is why the white paper will be published imminently, bringing them together as a plan. i am not going to pluck an arbitrary number because that has been tried many years in a row and it has achieved absolutely nothing. what i am not going to do with the british public is adopt an approach which we know has not succeeded and pretend that it has not succeeded and pretend thatitis has not succeeded and pretend that it is going to succeed. i think the days of fiction and pretending that our easy answers are over. these are the days of hard graft. thank you,

chris. kate from the times. figures released today show the asylum — figures released today show the asylum system is costing {5.4 bitiion— asylum system is costing {5.4 billion in— asylum system is costing {5.4 billion in the last year. how much — billion in the last year. how much of— billion in the last year. how much of that money has been spent — much of that money has been spent on _ much of that money has been spent on asylum hotels and can you guarantee the british public— you guarantee the british public that that spend will be zero — public that that spend will be zero by— public that that spend will be zero by the end of next year? we must _ zero by the end of next year? we must bring the cost of asylum down and we have a manifesto pledge to bring the number of hotels down to end the use of hotels which we are driving hard at. the way to do thatis driving hard at. the way to do that is to increase the processing of claims. among the reason so many people are in hotels is because, for a long time, the claims weren't being processed. more people arriving, none of them getting processed and an ever increasing pool of people that then had to be accommodated some way or another. that was

completely unsustainable. we have transferred 1000 staff into the processing and returns work of the home office so a significant redeployment of staff which is driving up the processing claims and of course, when it comes to returns, we returned 9600 since the election and we have got more flights off in terms of the numbers than has ever been done before. it is processing in the first place, it is making sure we can do the returns on the other, and deploying 1000 staff in to do that vital work. that is why the numbers are so significant. jack at the son. the numbers are so significant. jack at the son.— jack at the son. you spoken today largely _ jack at the son. you spoken today largely of _ jack at the son. you spoken i today largely of immigration jack at the son. you spoken i today largely of immigration is a matter— today largely of immigration is a matter of economics. but many voters _ a matter of economics. but many voters are — a matter of economics. but many voters are concerned about the cultural — voters are concerned about the cultural impact on their communities. is this an argument you are sympathetic to? |_ argument you are sympathetic to? ., ., ., ~' argument you are sympathetic to? ., ., ., , to? i have looked at it, mainly as a matter— to? i have looked at it, mainly as a matter of _ to? i have looked at it, mainly as a matter of economics, - as a matter of economics, because if you look at the breakdown within the very high

numbers we have got today, very many of them are work visas. in terms of the question you put to me, i do in principle think it is right that we should ensure that we have got the skills and training for people in this country for the jobs that we need. that is among the drivers of this, that we haven't got the skills regime in place that allows young people, but notjust young people, but notjust young people in this country, to have the skills they need and the skills employers want, in order to take us where we need to on the economy. i think that you don't go together because i think people in this country are entitled to have the opportunity of the skills here. i think businesses are entitled to know that there is a skills strategy that will actually satisfy their needs and their demands. matt from the times. you havejust demands. matt from the times. you have just announced there will be — you have just announced there will be no _ you have just announced there will be no expectations on firms— will be no expectations on firms to _ will be no expectations on firms to train domestic workers other— firms to train domestic workers other than— firms to train domestic workers other than restrictions on

visas _ other than restrictions on visas. what incentives or sanctions will there be? are you — sanctions will there be? are you promising britishjobs for british— you promising britishjobs for british workers? for you promising british “obs for british workers?h you promising british “obs for british workers?�* british workers? for too long we have had _ british workers? for too long we have had this _ british workers? for too long | we have had this overreliance on the easy answer of recruiting from abroad and that has got to change. it is a two—way street. we want to support employers, of course we do. we want to grow the economy and i don't want to make it more difficult for businesses. and as i have said previously, they have to be in ensuring we have got the skills we need in this country in the places we need them. that will come partly by devolving skills, getting more employers and representatives involved in the skills strategies that we need and so it is right that we have the skills available to people who live here, the opportunities that they want to develop their working lives, and give the employer is the skills they need near them for the jobs they need doing.

skills they need near them for thejobs they need doing. thank you. reggie from the guardian. nigel farage said that donald trump — nigel farage said that donald trump hates the chagos deal. is he right? — trump hates the chagos deal. is he riuht? ., , , ., he right? the che castile is a aood he right? the che castile is a good deal — he right? the che castile is a good deal and _ he right? the che castile is a good deal and it _ he right? the che castile is a good deal and it secures - he right? the che castile is a good deal and it secures the | good deal and it secures the base. that is in the vital interest of the us and the uk and we are already engaging with the new administration in mauritius as to how we take that forward. harriet from the daily mail. that forward. harriet from the daily mail-— daily mail. the ons has admitted _ daily mail. the ons has admitted it _ daily mail. the ons has admitted it has - daily mail. the ons has admitted it has been . daily mail. the ons has| admitted it has been too generous in its assumptions on its figures _ generous in its assumptions on its figures to. do think we need _ its figures to. do think we need a _ its figures to. do think we need a total rethink of the way these — need a total rethink of the way these figures are calculated and do _ these figures are calculated and do think it is making it harder— and do think it is making it harder for government departments and agencies when the ons— departments and agencies when the ons figures are so wide of the ons figures are so wide of the mark? | the ons figures are so wide of the mark?— the mark? i think it is really important — the mark? i think it is really important that _ the mark? i think it is really important that we _ the mark? i think it is really important that we resist - the mark? i think it is really important that we resist the temptation to see the problem in these figures as lying with the ons. these are the revised

figures. they are there for all to see and what is shocking about them is not that they have been revised. what is shocking about them is the sheer figures. shocking about them is the sheerfigures. you have to double take when you see an increase of181t,000 to double take when you see an increase of 184,000 to 906,004 years. if we think about previous decade or more, in terms of the sorts of numbers we were talking about, what is shocking is not the way the figures are arrived at. this is one of those occasions, a bit like the prisons are overfull, where the shock through the system is the sheer size of the number and the loss of control under the last government. thank you very much indeed. write to the prime minister ending that news conference. let me take it to the key lines we heard from keir starmer. he

said that he described the previous government was operating in open borders policy. he said time and again they had promised to cut migration and failed. he said it was of the scale, what had happened over the last four years. you hurt him in the last sentence there, we had to do a double take when we saw the figures being revised. 184,000 to over 900,000. that was the figure released earlier in the day. he said it was a failure, it wasn't bad luck, it wasn't a global trend. it wasn't bad luck, it wasn't a globaltrend. he it wasn't bad luck, it wasn't a global trend. he said it was by design and not accident. post—brexit they had turned britain into global britain with open borders. that was the political accusation. he said labour would focus on increasing skills and training and crackdown bogus visa roots. his reference the deal we talked about at the top of the hour— the new deal with the rack. he talked