DEVIZES MP Claire Perry has defended the Conservatives use of immigration targets during an appearance on the Daily Politics show today.

Mrs Perry joined regular hosts Andrew Neil and Jo Coburn and Labour’s Hilary Benn in the studio and explained how she had campaigned heavily on a Tory promise to reduce net migration at the last election.

Discussions on the show were dominated by immigration figures with Prime Minister David Cameron and Labour leader Ed Miliband clashing on the topic during Prime Minister’s Questions earlier.

Mr Miliband claimed the Conservatives had broken promises on reducing net immigration with the British public.

Mrs Perry said: “I thought it was a great target and I campaigned heavily on it at the last election. I think what nobody could have predicted was that Britain would become the jobs factory of Europe.

“Yorkshire created more jobs than the whole of France put together.”

She added: “When I am out on the door step people say we want you to get to grip on immigration.

“People understand farmers in my constituency are very dependent on labour from outside the EU.”

Around 271,000 people moved to the UK to work in the year to September 2014, according to recent figures.

The Conservative transport minister was also questioned on the government announcement that it was selling 40% stake in the Eurostar to an Anglo-Canadian consortium for £757m and their record on rail fares.

She said: “It’s a good deal this has been around for a long time we maintain a British stake in this important piece of infrastructure and I think it’s a really really good deal for tax payers.”

The Devizes MP defended the government’s rail fare policy by pointing to “unprecedented levels” of money being invested into the railways.