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The number of EU workers in Britain fell by 50,000 in the last three months of last year, official figures revealed today.

The total went down from 2,354,000 to 2,304,000, compared with the previous quarter.

The biggest drop, 46,000 was among citizen,s born in the A8 group of Eastern European countries, which include Poland and the Czech Republic.

There have been previous falls, but Remain campaigners blamed the latest drop on the Brexit vote.

Lib-Dem leader Tim Farron said: “Seeing EU nationals starting to leave because of the climate of uncertainty that this Government has created is heartbreaking.”

The figures also showed a record number of people are in work.

More than 31.8 million adults are in a job - 300,000 more than a year ago - after a quarterly rise of 37,000.

Unemployment fell by 7,000 to just under 1.6 million.

Work and Pensions Secretary Damian Green said: “With employment at its highest rate since records began, and unemployment at its lowest in over a decade, we remain in a position of strength.”