Immigration pushed up Britain’s population by more than 200,000 during Labour’s last year in power.The figure approaches the biggest leaps during the Tony Blair and Gordon Brown years and is more than double the immigration level Coalition ministers are aiming for.
In the 12 months to the end of March, 580,000 people moved to Britain, including a record 211,000 students. In the same period 364,000 left the country – the lowest level in a decade. Net migration to the UK rose to 215,000 in the year to March
That has resulted in a rise in the population of up to 215,000.
This net migration count underlines the huge task facing the Government if it is to keep the figure below 100,000. The totals for 2008 and 2009 were 163,000 and 198,000 respectively.
The Office for National Statistics has said that the population will hit 70million by 2029 if net migration runs at 180,000 a year.
The ONS breakdown revealed that the fastest-growing group of immigrants are students. The 211,000 figure for 2010 compares with 175,000 in 2008 and only around 100,000 in 2001.
Migrationwatch said non-EU citizens accounted for the bulk of immigration.
Author: Chris Slay
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