New migration data released today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggests Britain really is becoming an ‘island of strangers’. Around one in 25 people living in Britain today arrived in just the last four years.
Nevertheless, there were probably sighs of relief in Downing Street this morning when the ONS data showed net migration last year had fallen by almost 50 per cent to 431,000. Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper could hardly have dared hope for better numbers.
As things stand, by the time of the next census in 2031, almost a quarter of the population will be first generation migrants
That reduction is mostly due to changes made during the dying days of the last Conservative administration, resulting in several hundred thousand fewer visas being issued in 2024 compared to 2023. Of course, whether the public will give the Tories any credit for this is another matter. Having put in place an immigration system that saw annual net migration peak at 906,000 – while also failing to stop the small boats – trust in the Conservatives is in short supply.
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