'Brexit is a fiasco - just look at UK immigration figures'

AMONG the many false claims made be the Leave campaign was the suggestion that it would help us control migration. ‘Take back control of our borders’ the story went.

Nationalists like Farage and Rees-Mogg assured us the UK could manage better outside the EU. No need to cooperate with other countries.

So what is the reality? Net migration figures for 2021-2022 show immigration to the UK at 504,000. New figures for 2022-2023 are expected to be around 700,000, with the Telegraph warning that the number could soon reach 1 million.

Government statistics show that in 2014, when we were in the EU, total immigration into the UK was 318,000, of whom 220,000 came from the EU.

Back then the UK took fewer asylum seekers than Germany, Sweden, France and Italy. Now look at the chaos on our borders, and the tragedy of human trafficking. No good blaming anyone else, this is what ‘taking control’ looks like. In a complex world with many challenges the ‘Johnny no mates’ option was always going to end like this.

Brexit is a fiasco - for immigration, food, human rights, international trade, pollution, etc. - and no amount of gaslighting will change this.

Christian Vassie

Blake Court,

Wheldrake,

York

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Avoid York gridlock - don't travel in peak time

YOU often read in The Press comments from disgruntled motorists complaining of congestion in and around the York inner ring road, often mentioning Lord Mayors Walk and Gillygate and the supposed horrendous queueing.

Having to visit the dentist on Poppleton Road I set off in good time in by car (8.20am) and arrived at my destination in under 15 minutes - the traffic was negligible.

After my dental work I reversed my route, and other than a slow ride behind a tourist sightseeing bus the journey was uneventful and without delays.

All towns, villages and hamlets have busy periods - rush hours - revolving around school times and people starting work.

The roads are always chock-a-block on Bank Holidays and school holidays and that's normal.

The answer is obviously in avoiding rush hours and in planning your routes better.

And anyone using the inner ring road out of the busy periods shouldn't have any problems. Have you noticed that at lunch times the banks and building societies are busy the sandwich shops have queues out of the doors because it's the busy time. And so it is with traffic. Simple when you think about it.

D M Deamer,

Penleys Grove Street,

Monkgate,

York

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Help for readers with diabetes

SOME Press readers with diabetes may be anxious, especially if it is the first time going on holiday since they were diagnosed with diabetes.

For people with diabetes going on holiday is not quite so straight forward and requires more planning, especially for those treated with insulin.

If going abroad, the security at airports and on flights means that carrying injection devices, blood glucose testing kit and insulin on planes requires prior arrangements to be made.

As a charity for people with diabetes and their families, we provide a Holiday Information Pack which contains our booklet on Holiday Tips which includes information about carrying tablets and insulin to other countries. The Pack also includes our booklets, Diabetes Everyday Eating and Looking After Your Feet, always important but especially so in hot weather or being on a beach.

We are happy send this free Holiday Pack to your readers if they contact IDDT on 01604 622837, email enquiries@iddtinternational.org or write to IDDT, PO Box 294, Northampton NN1 4XS.

Jenny Hirst,

IDDT,

Northampton

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What a load of bollards!

THE phrases ‘anti-terrorism bollards’ and ‘anti-tourism bollards’ sound very similar,

especially when said at speed! Is that significant?

Derek Reed,

Middlethorpe Drive,

York