Immigration from outside the EU is still a problem
BREXIT appears to be already working in that the number of EU migrants coming to the UK is slightly down from previous years. But more immigrants from the rest of the world are still flocking to our country. In fact, a city the size of Nottingham or Sunderland was added to our population thanks to net migration last year.
And yet non-EU migration is the one issue we can control. The Government that once pledged to get net migration down to the tens of thousands is still failing to control immigration from the rest of the world. Brexit is about taking control of our borders but we don’t seem to be doing that when it comes to the near quarter of a million more people coming to the UK from countries outside the EU in 2017.
Last week when he visited the UK, US President Donald Trump made the point that many Brits voted for Brexit because of years of uncontrolled mass immigration. It was the same legitimate concern that brought him to power in the US.
Prime Minister Theresa May quite rightly countered by stressing the positive contribution of immigrants to our country over the years.
Undoubtedly we are a more vibrant and wealthier country thanks to the presence of many economic migrants and refugees over hundreds of years. Indeed as a global trading nation we have shown greater tolerance to different cultures and races than many of our continental neighbours.
THE fact remains that the UK has never experienced the levels of mass migration we have endured since Labour prime minister Tony Blair opened the floodgates in the late 1990s. It was a very deliberate plan to turn the UK into a cheap labour economy. The effects were felt disproportionately by the poorest members of our society as towns and neighbourhoods changed for ever.
According to the latest immigration figures that is still happening now. Our population growth is driven mainly by newcomers and their families and that is putting continued pressure on hospitals and schools.
Since the Windrush scandal earlier this year the liberal establishment has been keen