Trump is pushing students towards Britain – ministers, don’t let your immigration obsession stand in the way | Polly Toynbee

Beleaguered UK universities have a golden opportunity. If the government passes it up, it risks billions in revenue

Shocking stories told at a US universities conference in San Diego described Donald Trump's assaults on research grants, academics and students. Foreign students face deportation for infractions as minor as parking or speeding tickets. A reported 500 student visas have been suddenly revoked - with some students sent to deportation centres, and others told to self-deport". With a million foreign students warned by their universities not to travel abroad for fear of never getting back in, that's a strong deterrent to others deciding whether to study in the US.

Jo Johnson, former minster for universities, King's College London visiting professor and chair of the Lords education committee, listening to this list of persecutions, spoke to me from San Diego. The UK should be extending the warmest of welcomes, a safe port in a storm," he says. Concerns about immigration numbers shouldn't enter the calculation about attracting foreign students. We need these highly motivated, highly educated people." He reels off the great benefits they bring: They are our second largest export after finance, bringing over 40bn to our economy. Our workforce needs them, with an ageing population and a falling birthrate." If Britain turns such students away, there will be global competition for them.

Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist