He also urged a greater recognition of the value of bilingualism among first- and second-generation immigrant children, and warned that the decline in learning languages in the UK could limit the educational and career chances of poorer children.

The senior academic said "the most inspiring applicants come from children of immigrant parents who often valued education highly".

He also echoed calls from other vice-chancellors for Britain to remain within the EU, arguing that between 15 per cent and 20 percent of major UK universities' research income now came through Brussels.

"The whole academic sector brings back more to the UK than the resource that Britain puts into these areas. These are very important sources of funding for our top institutions in this country," he said.

The VC said he was "in global competition" for both students and staff, and opposed migration targets not only for students but in general.

He added: "A university such as Cambridge competes with Princeton, Harvard, Stanford, much more so than other UK universities, and therefore anything that prevents us getting the very best students I believe would be to the long-term detriment of the UK.

"We should be looking at the capacity of individuals to contribute to our society here rather than have a political ding-dong over 'we brought in 10,000 fewer than you did'."
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