In! Out! OBR shakes it all about on immigration

David Cameron with a UK Border Agency official at Heathrow (Getty Images)

Does Britain need more immigrants? After months of political grandstanding on the need to let fewer people into the country, The Office for Budget Responsibility has marched debate in the opposite direction - saying Britain needs 6 million more to avoid falling into even greater debt.

Sections of the right wing press have moved to quash the OBR report:

In the Spectator Douglas Murray scoots around the economic question and points to broader social concerns:

"The trouble with the OBR is that it views immigration solely as an issue of economics.

"Both the Conservative and Labour parties have conceded immigration on the scale of recent years ... is societally unsustainable."

The Daily Express splutters in outrage:

"Any notion of Britain importing another six million immigrants - as advocated by the Office for Budget Responsibility - is crackers.

"If the OBR comes out with any more rubbish such as this it will have to be renamed the OBI - the Office for Blatant Irresponsibility."

Editor of the i Oliver Duff wonders - assuming there's something in what the OBR says - which political party could stand up for immigrants.

"How to [allow more people in] without piling pressure on housing, healthcare and schools, and ramping up job competition for young British workers?

"Sounds like the sort of thing that could do with debating ahead of a general election.

"But is any political leader willing to argue the case for more migrants?"