Academics today released new research examining the effect immigration has had on the UK economy.
In broad terms, a study from from University College London says inward migration is a good thing, with migrants contributing far more than they've taken in public benefits since 2000. But what did the papers make of it?
Daily Mail: IMMIGRANTS BAD.
"UCL's report said the population of migrants from outside Europe grew by more than 2.2 million between 1995 and 2011, reaching just under 6.15 million in 2011."It said that over the same period, the non-EEA immigrants received public services and benefits worth £104 billion more, at 2011 prices, than they paid in taxes."
The Guardian: IMMIGRANTS GOOD.
Recent immigrants were 45% less likely to receive state benefits or tax credits than people native to the UK and 3% less likely to live in social housing."The Guardian quotes the report's authors saying: "Given this evidence, claims about 'benefit tourism' by EEA immigrants seem to be disconnected from reality."
From a £100 billion deficit to a £25 billion net benefit is quite a margin of difference for stories based on the same research.
It's almost as if the papers had already made their minds up.
