Net migration has risen to its second-highest point on record because right-wing political parties have done nothing
What this really says is: If you want to control immigration into the UK, don’t vote Tory or UKIP.
David Cameron had an opportunity to address the real issues that affect immigration with his “renegotiation” of the UK’s EU membership a few months ago – and didn’t bother.
The problem is that citizens of countries newly admitted to the union are taking immediate advantage of the ‘free movement’ rule to move to more prosperous nation states, and there’s nothing to stop them.
If you were living in a country with a struggling economy that was a considerable distance behind the European front-runners, wouldn’t you want to move somewhere with better prospects?
Cameron had a chance to raise this issue and propose a moratorium on the ‘free movement’ rule for new entrants, until EU help has brought their economies up to a level with the rest of us – and he blew it.
As for UKIP – that party has had many MEPs for many years, and what do they do? They skip meetings and refuse to participate, while still drawing fat European Parliamentary paycheques. They are worse than useless.
Neither Nigel Farage nor Boris Johnson have any right to say anything about this matter.
Net migration to the UK rose to 333,000 in 2015, according to the Office for National Statistics.
The net figure is the number of people moving to the UK for at least a year, less the number leaving the UK.
The ONS figures estimate that net migration for EU citizens was 184,000.
UKIP’s Nigel Farage said the numbers showed immigration was “out of control” and Boris Johnson said a vote to stay in the EU would mean “kissing goodbye permanently” to immigration control.
But Home Office minister James Brokenshire said the PM’s renegotiation of the UK’s membership of the EU would “close back-door routes” and added: “Leaving the EU is absolutely no panacea or silver bullet.”
Source: Net migration to UK rises to 333,000 – second highest on record – BBC News
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The real scandal here is Farage and his brainless UKIP people skipping meetings and refusing to participate, while still drawing their fat European Parliamentary pay cheques, and all the time complaining bitterly about migration. I suspect they don’t really want the problem solved, because then they would lose one of their main gripes.
hmm while quietly sacking border control security sacking loads of custom people but still they lied about everything
With all arguments about how many immigrants are coming here to take “our” jobs, everyone seems to have forgotten the fact that the ‘baby boomers’ are now reaching retirement age. According to the Office for National statistics, at the present rate of population increase, by 2037 there will be 365 pensioners for every 1000 people in work. Without immigrants coming here to earn and pay taxes & national insurance, pensioners will be in some serious manure.