Tuberculosis caseloads in Britain are at their highest since 1987, with 8,500 cases recorded in the UK last year, the vast majority in London.

The areas with the highest rates - equivalent to those of less economically developed countries - are boroughs where immigrant arrivals are also high, such as Brent and Newham.

While many Third World immigrants arrive with the disease, it has become clear that a great many catch the disease after they arrive in the UK, with the primary cause being the squalid conditions and poverty in which they live.

Tina Harrison, Awareness Officer for UK charity TB Alert, says that the 80% of immigrant TB cases in the UK are “latent infections are reactivated here” after at least two years; and 30% after 10.

TB is associated with poverty - overcrowded, unsanitary accommodation, which combined with poor nutrition and stress all contribute to its spread.

And who was it who was telling native Britons that immigration was boosting the economy? Once again, the facts show the exact opposite.