The ONS upward revisions to past migration figures are huge. Some here have commented before that they did not trust the figures. With so many people entering and leaving legally, judgements have to be made about which ones are going to stay for a longer time, with or without permission. The authorities also need to enforce better where a person enters as a short stay visitor then embeds as a resident without the necessary permit.
The numbers reinforce the need which some of us stressed to the last government that policies had to change to make a very large reduction in legal numbers. Finally this January the government did put up the minimum income level for a job, limit dependents coming with students and sought to limit the occupations qualifying for work visas. As a result legal migration is said to be down 20% from a very high peak.
Today’s debate should be about what further measures will this government take to cut numbers more? The income level needs to be raised higher. There need to be more sector work plans to get more U.K. non working residents to take jobs, as was done with drivers post Covid. This is implied by the government’s back to work policy but needs more detail and urgency.
The case for much lower has often been set out here. Too many low pay and no pay migrants leaves us short of homes, NHS capacity and other public facilities. It may be cheap labour for companies but dear for taxpayers.
November 28, 2024
No chance of a reduction in immigration with this lot in office
They’re marginally worse than the non tories
2TK is for open borders so we can be culturally enriched at the same time as destroying our way of life.
We must be rapidly heading for 80 million on this tiny island and there’s no sign of it abating.
Crayons wanting to build 1.5 million houses won’t scratch the surface.
November 28, 2024
Failure to control Immigration, both legal and illegal, caused the collapse of the conservative vote in the GE. The Labour Government will do nothing to control or reduce Immigration for the next 4.5 years.
Kemi Badenoch’s speech was a good start, but how many of the current 121 conservative MPs agree with her?
The Conservatives need to look at what Javier Milei is doing in Argentina for the economy and what Donald Trump will do in the USA on Immigration and the economy.
We are over-governed, so we need to dramatically reduce the Civil Service by at least 400,000, determinedly cut Government spending in all areas, cut taxes, and work to support the UK and its people, notons, WHO, Quangos, and foreign farmers, as just four examples of wasteful spending. By the end of this miserable Labour Government, there will be even more to c the United Nations. But by then, it will be a life-and-death event, so nobody will argue it can’t be done. For the UK to survive, it will have to be done.
November 28, 2024
Line 2 in para 2 should read … not the UN, WHO, Quangos and foreign farmers
November 28, 2024
Too many allowed in. No control when they are in. No disincentives to discourage illegals, in fact just the opposite. No politicians other tha Reform intent on stopping or removing them. A littany of failure and downright obstruction. I see no effective resolution until 99% of our current HoC’s incumbents leave the field.
November 28, 2024
Yes, all the adverse comments seem directed towards illegal immigration. It’s way too high, clearly, and those partaking obviously see the UK as a soft touch. But the number involved is about 10% of those arriving legally. If we just admitted high net worth people, or those with skills we need, then numbers would be lower and the country would be better off. I am absolutely not an advocate for zero immigration.
November 28, 2024
We need a full migration embargo for 5 years and a comprehensive campaign to return all overstayers and a policy to return illegals to France same day and house other illegals in the army base in hebrides until returned ….its the only way
November 28, 2024
“Migration is way too high”
The administration you supported did nothing about it for sixteen years. Don’t think you can fool us into thinking the pseudo Tory party will ever do anything different.
Reply Just get it that this site provides independent commentary on the government and what could be done for the U.K. When I was an MP I consistently made the case for much lower migration highlighting all the state/ taxpayers costs of large numbers of low pay and no pay migrants