Whoever becomes prime minister in a few weeks will face an immigration quandary. The Brexit vote was in part a plebiscite on low-skilled immigration. Expectations of control have been raised, and sharply. Yet in the short term we are likely to see an increase in flows from the EU as people arrive before the rules change in two years’ time, and even then it is not clear how far numbers will fall as we move to an employer-driven work-permit system for EU citizens.

Angry people will soon be filling this political vacuum with a story of betrayal. Casual expressions of xenophobia are reportedly on the increase in some parts of the country and the situation could deteriorate further unless the government can reassure people that