MIGRANT 3-YR LOW
Brexodus as EU workers leave amid uncertainty over rights
NET migration is at a threeyear low as EU workers stage a “Brexodus”, figures show.
It fell 81,000 in the year to March as 246,000 more arrived in the UK than left – down from 327,000 in the previous 12 months.
EU citizens make up most of the drop, with a 51,000 net fall amid fears over their rights after Brexit. The number leaving rose 33,000 to 122,000 while the number arriving fell. Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable said: “It shows a worrying Brexodus of EU citizens, largely a result of the failure of Theresa May’s Government to guarantee their right to stay.”
There was also a fall in foreign students coming in, down 27,000 to 139,000, said the Office for National Statistics. But the overall influx is still more than double the Government’s target of curbing annual net migration to below 100,000.
The total number of immigrants arriving was 588,000, down 50,000, while the total leaving was 342,000, an increase of 31,000.
An average 153 bids to get into Britain from France were foiled each day last year, it was revealed.