WHY WE MUST LEAVE THE EU
Record surge in migrants
CALLS for a full severing of Britain’s ties with Brussels intensified last night after figures revealed that immigration has reached a new high.
Official data showed 650,000 immigrants arrived in the UK in the 12 months to the end of June – the highest annual total since records began.
Among them were an unprecedented 284,000 from EU states.
The figures also showed that one in every 10 migrants arriving in Britain last year came from Romania.
The influx, revealed in the quarterly report from the Office for National Statistics, ignited fresh
fears about the pressure on Britain’s stretched public services.
Campaigners for a full Brexit renewed their demands for the urgent scrapping of Britain’s commitment to Brussels’ free-movement rules.
Tory MP Andrea Jenkyns, a supporter of Brexit pressure group Change Britain, said: “Some politicians are now trying to frustrate the will of the people and want to keep us in the EU’s single market.
“That means we would have no control over our borders. These people need to explain how they will pay to help schools and hospitals cope with these huge levels of immigration.”
Labour MP Gisela Stuart, chairwoman of Change Britain, said: “David Cameron promised he would cut net migration to the tens of thousands. He could never actually manage to do it and nor can the Government now unless we leave the EU, as today’s figures show.
“The public are fed up of politicians making promises on immigration that they can’t deliver. The only way for the Government to meet these pledges is to leave the single market and take back control of our borders.
“This is what people voted for on June 23. Politicians need to respect the result of the referendum and get on with leaving the EU.”
Failure
The ONS figures showed net migration from EU nations – the total number of incomers minus those leaving – increased in the 12 months to the end of June by 9,000 to 189,000 – the highest figure on record. Total net migration over the period hit 335,000, more than treble the Government target of a maximum of 100,000.
Net migration from Romania and Bulgaria soared to a record high of 61,000 in the same period compared with 49,000 in the previous year.
In 2015, Romania was the most common country of last residence for new arrivals in Britain.
Alp Mehmet, vice-chairman of Migration Watch UK, said: “Even if net migration was brought down to 265,000 a year, the UK population would still be growing at half a million a year as the population increases every year for the next 10 years.
“That is equivalent to another five Birminghams. This is unacceptable to most of the British public.”
New Ukip leader Paul Nuttall said: “These figures just go to show that you can’t trust the Tories to bring down immigration. This is an abject failure not just by the Government in general but by the Prime Minister in particular. We still have net migration running at more than 300,000 – another city the size of Hull added to our population, more pressure on housing, schools and the NHS.”
The figures showed that 189,000 of the EU migrants came to work. Yet only 57 per cent – 108,000 – arrived with a definite job offer. A further 82,000 arrived saying they were looking for work. Experts said there had been a “statistically significant” rise in the number of jobseekers, partly due to “weaker labour market conditions” in Spain, Italy and Greece.
Net migration from non-EU countries was 196,000 – a similar level to the previous year. Asylum applications increased by 14 per cent to 41,280 in the 12 months to the end of September, the figures also showed.
Immigration minister Robert Goodwill said: “The British people have sent a very clear message that they want more control of immigration. That is why reducing the number of migrants coming to the UK will be a key priority in our negotiations to leave the EU.”
The Prime Minister’s official spokeswoman said the Government’s ambition was still to reduce net migration to below 100,000 – “but it’s going to take time”.