Pro- immigration lobby hampers any real reforms
SINCE its formation in 2001 Migration Watch UK, under Sir Andrew Green, has proved itself invaluable by cutting through much of the fog and bluster that dominates the debate over immigration.
Whether you believe we should open our borders to anyone who fancies coming here or think that we need to re- establish control over our borders, the one thing that matters is that the debate is conducted around facts rather than assertions.
That’s why Migration Watch is so important. Its rigorous reports produced by experts shine a light on areas that many in the Whitehall and proimmigration establishment would rather keep hidden.
Yesterday it produced a report examining the coalition’s overall performance since taking office in 2010. It revealed a key reason why the Government’s efforts to control immigration have been so lacklustre, why it has missed its target to cut net migration to the “tens of thousands” so badly.
Just £ 1.8billion a year is spent on securing our borders and removing illegal immigrants and foreign criminals. That’s just 0.25 per cent of overall spending. What a contrast with our £ 12billion aid budget.
As Migration Watch puts it: “It is clear the very limited resources devoted to immigration are seriously out of kilter with the very serious consequences for our society of continued mass immigration and the associated level of public concern.”
DESPITE the Government’s much proclaimed objective of cutting immigration, the numbers arriving have increased while the number of non- EU immigrants being removed has remained at about 100,000 a year. That means net migration is at 260,000 a year, up from 212,000 in 2013.
Underneath that total there is a story to tell. Net migration from outside the EU has fallen to its lowest level since 1998. But EU immigration has soared since the last Labour government opened the borders. Our population is on target to hit 70 million within just over a decade with 60 per cent of the rise due to future immigration.