THIS week the EU debate has focused on immigration which can be a tricky topic with lots of heated language debasing what is a real concern for millions of people, so I thought I would search out some facts. I found, for example, that more migrants come here from outside the EU than from EU countries but the proportion of EU migrants is rising.

EU nationals come here to work, with almost 80 per cent in employment, and given that Britain has been the jobs factory of Europe in the last five years, this inward flow (coupled with fewer people leaving) has tipped the migration balance upwards.

There is little evidence across the country that EU workers are taking away jobs as employment rates for British-born workers are at all-time highs, and also clear evidence that some employers, including farmers and the NHS, are highly dependent on workers from EU countries.

Overall about three million people living in the UK in 2014 were citizens of another EU country - about five per cent of the UK population – which is hardly the “swamping” that some more colourful Leave campaigners like to talk about – but it is absolutely the case that immigration has put pressure on schools, housing and public services in some parts of the UK, especially London.

So does a Leave vote help? It’s hard to see how. If, as many Brexiters want, we negotiate a Norway-style access deal to the EU single market then we still have to accept the free movement of EU labour – and Norway has higher EU migration levels than we do.

We could stay outside the single market, stop EU migration but increase skilled migration from outside the EU, but not only would that be hugely damaging for the economy but would lead to also significant staff shortages in many areas, including the NHS.

Can we get immigration down while remaining in the EU? I remain positive that as the rest of Europe recovers economically fewer people will move here to work; that as the Prime Minister has achieved a critical “emergency brake” during his negotiations, which means that EU nationals moving here will have to wait four years to get full access to benefits, and as the steady improvement in British schools and apprenticeships swells the pool of homegrown workers with the appropriate skills for employers to hire, the immigration numbers will fall without damaging the economy.

That, and for many other reasons, is why I cast my postal vote to Remain this week.