Cambridge’s MP Daniel Zeichner has praised the contributions that international students make to the economy, describing them as a “huge benefit”.

Zeichner reiterated his support shortly after the publication of a report by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) which set out the economic costs and benefits of the international students who study in the UK.

The report, which broke down its findings by constituency, concluded that, on average, international students were worth £310 to the economy for each resident of the UK.

Cambridge was the constituency where international students had the eighth highest net economic impact – contributing £1,460 per Cambridge resident. Zeichner said that the research “shows the huge benefit that we get from international students, in concrete figures – let alone the community benefit we gain from having a diverse society.”

He also criticised Prime Minister Theresa May’s plans to keep international students in immigration targets, describing her stance as “nonsense”. She has also been opposed on the issue by many of her own Conservative backbenchers.

“May needs to stop her ideological scape-goating of our international student community,” Zeichner added.

Zeichner’s comments follow a letter signed by seven mayors seeking to “highlight the profound and positive impact international students have on our cities and regions”, which was published by the Financial Times yesterday.

The letter’s signatories, which include the mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, James Palmer, and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, claimed that: “As the UK prepares to leave the EU, it is important that any future immigration system acknowledges the vital contribution international students make to regional jobs and growth.”

They continued by emphasising that “while the UK continues to be one of the most attractive destinations in the world for international students, latest recruitment figures show that we have seen a slowdown in recent years, compared to many of our leading competitors.”

Zeichner echoed the concerns raised in the letter about the HEPI report’s findings that numbers of international students in the UK have been flatlining since 2010. He said that the research “underlines the Tories’ failure to implement a sensible immigration system. It shows that their policies have deterred international students coming to the UK – at great cost to us all.”