The Curious Case of Emily Mailtis, Emma Dent Coat and the question, "And that comes down to immigration, I suppose?"

I was flabbergasted watching Newsnight last night. In fact, my flabber has never been so gasted while watching Newsnight.

Emily was discussing post-election Labour matter with a trio of Labour types, including Emma Dent Coad - a Labour MP until she was rejected by the voters of Kensington in the general election.

Emma chipped in a parting comment, and Emily replied:

Emma Dent Coad: Something about the construction industry. We cannot deliver the infrastructure we need because the construction industry is almost on its knees. We don't have the skills, we don't have the power and we don't have the investment.
Emily Maitlis: And that comes down to immigration, I suppose?
Emma Dent Coad: Partly down to that. Yes.
Emily Maitlis: Or down to...?
Emma Dent Coad: And Brexit. It's going to be hideous. The construction industry is bracing itself for recession.
Emily Maitlis: Thank you all very much.

That "And that comes down to immigration, I suppose?" from Emily was (a) so unexpected and (b) so fleeting that I don't know whether to praise her for breaking one of the BBC's biggest taboos by linking the housing crisis to mass immigration or to suspect her of 'trolling' BBC critics who say the BBC never makes that connection by making the connection in a quiet voice and then not pursuing it - akin to the BBC 'burying' unwelcome news stories 'in Berkshire' (the local news section of the BBC News website, for any passing newbies) - i.e. reporting it while not reporting it.

What do you make of it?

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Update/Clarification/Correction/Apology: That will teach me to post after a work's afternoon Christmas do (with lots of turkey and wine). Charlie, in the comments below, has brought me to my senses:

I think you may have read that wrong Craig. 

My take on that exchange was that Emily was using that well worn BBC trope that Brexit has put off immigrants from coming so there isn’t enough manual labour to fill the construction jobs, just like Easton says about manual farming jobs like picking.

Of course that's what Emily meant by that comment of hers. 

She wasn't breaking the BBC's taboo on linking the housing crisis to the sudden influx of millions upon millions of recent immigrants at all. 

In fact, she was doing the exact opposite - pushing the BBC line that the UK's construction industry will be destroyed by Brexit, and Brexit-related curbs on immigration. 

It was a pro-immigration, anti-Brexit point she was making.

Mea culpa. I seriously let my poor flabber down by even thinking that she'd make an anti-immigration point, even in passing.