A MAJOR public row over immigration has exploded between the PM and his Brexit backing former “guru” Steve Hilton. The former No 10 aide claimed that David Cameron was told by civil servants “directly and explicitly, that it was impossible for the Government to meet its immigration target as long as we remained members of the EU.” But the PM hit back on TV, saying: “It’s simply not right.” The furious Premier lashed out: “Actually when Steve Hilton left Downing Street in 2012, net immigration had actually fallen quite substantially and it got down to 154,000, so not far away from the ambition that I set.” The latest row is the most vicious between the pair, who have been close political allies since the 1990s but are now trading bitter Brexit blows. Just weeks ago Mr Cameron insisted he stuck by his “ambition” of bringing net migration into the UK — which last month hit 333,000 — below 100,000. Downing Street said they “did not recognise” Mr Hilton’s account of the meeting. But Vote Leave backing Steve Hilton said the PM made the pledge at the 2015 general election even though he “had been told was undeliverable”. Mr Hilton added: “You don’t need to sit in a ‘stock take’ meeting at No 10 Downing Street to see the obvious truth: our immigration system is completely broken, and as long as we’re in the EU, our elected governments are powerless to fix it. “In the 2015 Conservative manifesto, the Prime Minister reaffirmed his commitment to the immigration target he… [Read full story]
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