The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “This report is a missed opportunity to protect jobs and economic growth that are at grave risk from Theresa May’s appallingly mishandled approach to Brexit, and from a Government that is only motivated by its ideological and economically illiterate migration target – regardless of the cost to real people.

“London’s entrepreneurialism and economic growth is partly down to the flow of ideas and people from Europe and around the world. British businesses will pay a heavy price if the Government fails to protect their access to a European workforce at all skill levels in the future. Of course more must be done to give local workforces the skills needed for the jobs of the future – but responsibility for this lies squarely with this Government, who have consistently failed to invest enough in education, skills and training.

“Any decision by this Government to prioritise reducing immigration at the expense of economic growth will damage our country for years to come."

ENDS