The research makes it clear that, despite opposing illegal migration, the majority of the British public believe those with the legal right to live in the UK should be prioritised "even if this means some illegal immigrants are not deported".

The polling comes just a couple of days after the ONS released figures showing that 77 per cent of local authority areas had seen a significant increase in their non-UK born population in the past decade.

The public want a "tough but fair" stance on immigration

According to Ipsos MORI, the findings indicate that Britons want a "tough but fair" immigration system, with most of us being more concerned with protecting the rights of legal migrants than crackdowns on illegal residents.

Research Director Kully Kaur-Ballagan said that "the majority of the public still want immigration levels reduced and there is support for ‘tough but fair’ immigration policy that is tough on illegal immigrants but one that protects those who have a legal right to be here".