A Suffolk MP warned immigration will not be able to fall until welfare and education reforms allow foreign labour to be replaced with local talent.

James Cartlidge, the MP for South Suffolk, said Britain was embarking on a journey that was 'undoubtedly motivated in part' by a desire to control immigration.

During the prime minister's statement to the House of Commons, Mr Cartlidge said public services and the economy in entire swaths of the country were dependent on 'very hard-working EU migrants just to function'.

Theresa May said people in the United Kingdom needed to have the 'skills and incentives' to be able to take up the jobs that are available. Adding: 'Of course we recognise the valuable contribution that EU citizens are making to our economy and our society, and we will want to ensure that we take the interests of businesses and others into account as we shape our future immigration rules.'