Net migration numbers are absolutely terrible for the Government

These numbers are absolutely terrible for the Government.

They could have a huge impact on what will be the biggest political event of the next five years - the renegotiation of Britain's place in the EU and the referendum.

Mr Cameron said he wanted to use that to change welfare rules, saying there were 86,000 people coming every year from Europe without the offer of a job.

But even if it does stop some of them, that still leaves 182,000 coming with an offer of a job.

And even if he does manage to control the EU side of the equation, the non-EU side of it - the bit the Government in theory already has control over - is also apparently out of control.

Those numbers seem to keep growing and growing no matter what David Cameron does about it.

You heard the Liberal Democrats get the blame for all this earlier.

Today they said David Cameron should just admit his target of cutting immigration to the tens of thousands was a stupid idea.

Well the Prime Minister didn't do that today - in fact he repeated that he still wanted to do it.