Poles will return east to higher wages and jobs, and UK will lose out | Richard Partington

Britain is sending all the wrong messages pre-Brexit to the migrant workers it sorely needs

A perception had built up over the decade leading to Brexit that Britain was a country out of control. Brussels bureaucrats controlled our lives and money. Migrants were stealing jobs and sponging benefits, or so went the shock doctrine of the tabloid press, manifested among the myriad reasons 17.4 million people cried out from the ballot box two and a half years ago: "Enough is enough."

But as the countdown on Brexit approaches its chaotic finale in little more than 30 days' time, it's worth remembering that, until recently, that perception hadn't travelled far overseas.