Naomi...I didn't write the article...the DM did, and they did it for the reasons I gave.
The article wasn't a piece of investigative journalism or an example of campaigning journalism, in the manner of their previous excellent and widely praised work on the Stephen Lawrence case. It was just designed to stir up trouble and ensure that UKIP or the Tories win the next election, not Labour. And it was sloppy and irresponsible writing, as others have point out here this morning.
The DM is a rabidly right-wing newspaper and its raison d'etre is to make sure that Britain is not ruled by the left of centre, in any way it can.
I don't have a problem with newspapers being partisan but distrust those that hide their real intentions under the guise of serious journalism.
There may be a few areas that are experiencing problems with an influx of foreigners, but the vast majority of the UK doesn't see a foreigner from one day to the next. Go to Mid Wales or The West Country and its like stepping back into the 1950's. But no matter where you live, if the Daily Mail was your only source of newsprint, you could be forgiven for thinking that we are over-run with Johnny Foreigners, which just isn't the case. Nor are we as a nation "crowded" Parts of the South East and London maybe but not the rest of the UK.
For the first 21 days of December I was on hols in Cornwall, and never saw anyone that could be remotely described as foreign, although Devonians are thought a bit dodgy down there. I am now in West Somerset and it will be the same here. Racism and xenophobia views are not going to go away if we pretend that they don't exist. But you will never hear that from the likes of the DM however.