'If You Needed Evidence About How Bonkers Brexit Britain Is, This Is It'
27 July 2017, 10:47 | Updated: 27 July 2017, 11:21
James O'Brien outlines the ludicrousness of the latest Brexit headline.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd has commissioned a study to look at the economic impact of ending free movement of EU workers.
James O'Brien can't believe it's taken this long.
Govt orders study looking at impact of ending free movement from EU
On his LBC show, he summed up how "bonkers" this really is.
He said: "So much of the pro-Brexit movement is built upon very, very strong feelings. I'm not criticising those feelings, but they're not facts.
"And that's why she's had to commission a report, and that's why it's taken so long.
"Because if you'd announced a year ago 'we're going to commission a report into EU migration', how many people would have jumped up and said 'we don't need a report, it's absolutely brilliant', or 'we we don't need a report, it's absolutely awful'."
James added: "Why do you think it's taken Amber Rudd so long to commission a report into the economic and social contributions of EU citizens living in Britain?...There's a little bit of me that thinks maybe we should have done this before the vote?
"No? Does that make me sound like some sort of unicorn-awaiting-idealist?"
The LBC Presenter continued: "Look I've read the Bank of England reports, I've read the University of Oxford's academic papers, I've spoken to thousands and thousands and thousands of people.
"But can we do some actual qualitative research into "the economic and social contributions and costs of EU citizens in Britain?
"Now I know the treasury has added up how much they pay in tax, how much they take out in tax, and they are massively net contributors, I know all that, but lots of people don't like that fact, so they prefer to shout that it's not true.
"I want facts. I want black and white stuff."
James finished off by saying: "They seem to have spent 14 or 15 months pretending that we're going to base it upon Paul Dacre's wet dreams.
"Now they're recognising that they have to base it upon reality. So over a year after the referendum, the government is finally asking: What actually are the economic and social contributions and costs of EU citizens in Britain?
"If you needed evidence of just how bonkers everything has become, there it is."
