Cameron’s pledge to limit net immigration to the tens of thousands is in tatters, says Farage Today’s ONS figures on net migration of 336,000 combined with yesterdays revised OBR numbers on population and migration show that the government’s long term economic plan to cap welfare and control migration has failed and is nothing more than a pipe dream.
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This was the highest estimate on record and a jump of 32 per cent on the figure for net migration in the 2014.
The ONS added the majority of people who moved to the United Kingdom a year ago did so for studying or working purposes, with two thirds of the 294,000 who migrated to Britain for work already having a definite job.
Alp Mehmet, vice chairman of campaign group Migration Watch UK, said: “These are very disappointing figures – net migration is running at a third of a million a year with no sign of any forthcoming reduction”. “Anti-immigration rhetoric sends a depressing message about Britain’s openness to the world, puts off investment, damages our worldwide standing and encourages foreign students and high-skilled workers to head to our global competitors”.
The government aims to get net migration down to five figures by 2020.
Analysing today’s data, Manchester University academic Dr Rob Ford said most of those arriving were coming from “old” European Union countries such as Spain, rather than more recent admissions to the European Union in eastern Europe, saying the number of immigrants arriving from those countries had “flattened off”. “If these numbers continue the pressure on our infrastructure will intensify”.
A total of 50,000 Romanians and Bulgarians came to the United Kingdom in the year to June, a rise of 19,000.
Robert Oxley, of Vote Leave, said: “While the United Kingdom remains a member of the European Union, we can not control our borders”.
Either way, migration figures may not change due to political manoeuvring.
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The latest statistics showing a record level of net immigration to Britain reveal the “idiocy” of David Cameron’s target to drastically bring it down, and merely confirm those arriving are coming here to work, one of Britain’s leading experts on immigration has claimed. “We want to deliver a system that works in the best interest of this country”. The pledge to reduce net migration below 100,000 was renewed by David Cameron shortly after the election in May.
