[Numbers UK]

Numbers UK
Campaign for Immigration Reform

www.numbers-uk.org

News in brief

Why mass immigration should be opposed

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You are welcome to distribute the leaflet, THE IMPACT OF MASS IMMIGRATION (impact.rtf - 2 A4 pages)

NEWS IN BRIEF The huge and damaging impact of mass immigration on the environment, employment, overpopulation, national identity, social cohesion, crime, education, etc.
English is not the mother tongue of 900,000 pupils 900,000 schoolchildren do not speak English as a first language. More than one in seven pupils in primary schools speaks another language at home, double the rate of a decade ago. (8.5.09) One-in-six rapes carried out by foreign attackers Foreigners carried out one in six rapes in Britain last year, but police say it is increasingly difficult to bring foreign rapists to justice since for some there is no record of them having come into the country in the first place. (6.4.09) One million migrants in just four years The number of migrants here has risen by 21% or more than a million in four years to 2007, growing from 5.2 million to 6.3 million. There are more than 4 million from outside Europe - far more than those from inside the EU. (27.3.09) More than three-quarters of Britons want to see jobless immigrants forced to leave UK The Government has failed to 'get control' of the issue of immigration. A poll finds that nearly eight out of ten people believe all unemployed foreign migrants should be asked to leave the UK. (17.3.09) Illegal immigrant figure 'is an 80 pc under-estimate' A new estimate of the number of illegal immigrants in Britain is 725,000, 81 per cent more than the 430,000 estimated by last Home Office in 2005. (10.3.09) Crime by foreigners has doubled in five years Crime committed by foreign nationals has doubled in five years. Among the 15 police forces giving a breakdown by type of offence, there were 120 murders last year for which a foreign national was the prime suspect, and 426 rapes or attempted rapes. (8.3.09) Reduce immigration urgently, say Labour and Tory voters A cut in immigration is the number-one concern for Labour and Conservative voters. (27.2.09) One in 9 British residents was born overseas One in nine people living in Britain was born overseas. 6.5 million people born overseas were resident in Britain in the year to June 2008. This is 290,000 more than in the previous year and an increase of 1.2 million since 2004. In all, 10.7% of the British population were born overseas. (25.2.09) Muslim population growth According to official statistics, of "white British Christian" households 16 per cent have two or more dependent children; among the UK's "Pakistani Muslim" households, the figure is 50%; "Bangladeshi Muslims", 58%. (24.2.09) Foreign workers hold one in seven UK jobs With 3.8 million foreign workers are now employed in Britain. Those not born in Britain account for one in seven jobs after more than 1.8 million foreigners were added to the labour force over the last decade. Two thirds of those have come from outside the EU. Non-British born workers account for 13% of all employment in the last quarter of 2008. (18.2.09) Muslim population 'rising 10 times faster than rest of society' The Muslim population in Britain has grown by more than 500,000 to 2.4 million in just four years - 10 times faster than the rest of society. The number of mosques in Britain is already 1,600. (30.1.09) Jobless up but more foreign workers enter UK A record number of work permits were handed out to immigrants last year despite rising unemployment. More than 151,000 people from outside the EU were given permission to work in Britain. (24.1.09) Asylum seekers 'face one in 10 chance of removal' Asylum seekers who were told that they could not stay in Britain could face just a one in 10 chance of being removed, the Government's auditors said yesterday. There was also no system in place to track those granted asylum. (23.1.09) We allowed a migrant free-for-all during Blair years, Cabinet minister Hazel Blears says Labour allowed a 'free-for-all' on immigration during its first years in power, a Cabinet minister admits. Large numbers of economic migrants were let into the country claiming they were asylum seekers, Communities Secretary Hazel Blears said. The number of asylum seekers peaked in 2002 at just over 100,000 a year. Around 2.5 million foreign citizens are believed to have moved to Britain since Labour came to power. (12.1.09) Migrant scandal - Britons feel neglected and betrayed Britain's white working class feels it has been "betrayed" and "abandoned" in favour of immigrants, a Government report reveals. Poor white people living on some of the country's most deprived estates believe they are the biggest victims of a decade of mass immigration, according to the study. They feel unable to complain for fear of being branded racist. (3.1.09) 50 million invited to Europe An EU job centre for migrants seeking work in Europe has been opened secretly in West Africa, part of a Brussels plan to invite more than 50 million African workers into Britain and other members of the 27-nation EU bloc. (3.1.09) Migrants filled most new jobs Nearly all the growth in new jobs in the past seven years has been accounted for by migrants. Between 2001 and 2008, employment in Britain grew by 1.342 million: 253,000 more British nationals and 1,087,000 more foreign workers in jobs. The British nationals figure includes migrants who hold British citizenship. Omitting them, the number of British-born workers in employment fell by 62,000. (16.12.08) UK net immigration up to 237,000 Net immigration to the UK increased to 237,000 in 2007, 46,000 more than in 2006, and still slightly lower than the record figure of 244,000, reached in 2004. (19.11.08) Wrongly approved visas allow 300,000 into UK every year Around 300,000 foreigners who should not be granted visas are allowed into Britain every year, MPs have been told. The Government has estimated that there are up to 570,000 illegal immigrants in Britain, but with so many visas being issued incorrectly, that figure could run to millions. (19.11.08) Non-European immigrants coming to Britain double in a year The number of non-European immigrants coming to Britain almost doubled between 2006 and 2007. Immigrants entering Britain from non-European regions, such as Asia, rose from 90,000 in 2006 to 176,000 in 2007. In 2007 there were 2,123,000 immigrants living in Britain from outside Europe. (18.11.08) Immigrant jobs shock Immigrants are squeezing hundreds of thousands of British workers out of jobs. The number of British-born adults in work here fell by 365,000 in the past two years. During the same period the number of foreign-born adults working in Britain has soared by 865,000. (19.10.08) Public 'misled by ministers over migrants' The public has been misled by ministers over how many foreigners are coming to live and work in Britain. Prof David Hand, the head of the Royal Statistical Society, complained about a Home Office press notice. It ignored the fact that long-term immigration had hit a new record, with 605,000 moving here in 2007. (18.9.08) One million of Pakistani origin in Britain At least one million people of Pakistani origin now live in Britain, according to the government in Islamabad. With 3.7% of children born in England and Wales in 2005 having Pakistani parents, it is estimated that the population could increase to more than 2.6 million by 2031. (15.9.08) Just 2 in 3 babies are white British Fewer than two-thirds of newborn babies are registered as "white British". 64.4% of the 649,371 babies born in England and Wales in 2005 were recorded in the category; 9% were Asian, 5% black, 3.5% "mixed" and 2.4% "other ethnic group". Irish and 'other' whites made up another 5%, with just over 10% unrecorded. (30.8.08) 'Churning' population hits 61m as record numbers come and go The make-up of Britain's population is changing at an unprecedented rate with more than one million people either settling here or leaving last year. The population has reached almost 61 million. Long-term immigration hit a new record, with 605,000 moving here in 2007. Since 2001, long-term immigration – those moving here for at least a year – has risen by 21%. There has been a sharp rise in the birth rate, particularly among non-British mothers. Over the past six years, the number of births to non-UK born women has risen by 64%. (22.8.08) 270,000 foreign workers arrive in a year The number of foreign workers has risen dramatically, with nearly 300,000 people coming to work here in the past year. This is the biggest annual influx of foreign workers since the Government started to keep count 10 years ago. The number of foreigners over the age of 16 working in Britain reached 2.29 million at the end of March – 270,000 more than at the same time last year. (20.8.08) Immigration biggest issue for voters Thirty per cent of people rank immigration as their priority election issue, beating concerns over crime, health and education. (29.7.08) Over half of young knife suspects are black, Scotland Yard figures reveal Black youths are suspected of more than half of reported knife crime among children in the capital, according to confidential figures, but most victims are white. (20.7.08) Immigration: now even MPs warn... we fear riots in Britain Immigration is the single biggest cause of public concern, an all-party group of MPs warn. The Government must act urgently to defuse tensions before the concern boils over into riots. (16.7.08) Multicultural Britain enjoys a modern-day baby boom Almost one in four babies (23%) is now born to foreign mothers. On average, foreign women have 2.5 children each, while British mothers have an average of 1.7 children each. (11.7.08) Nine out of 10 immigrants 'non-European' More than two million foreign nationals have moved to Britain in recent years and nine in 10 of them came from outside Europe. A net 2.3 million immigrants arrived between 1991 and 2006, the majority from Africa and Asia. (2.6.08) Immigration count 'is not fit for purpose' Hundreds of thousands of short-term immigrants are not included in official statistics and the counting system is so unreliable that it is not even possible to know the true population of Britain. (23.5.08) Migrants will help to swell population of England by two London-sized cities within 50 years The population of England is to increase by the equivalent of two new cities of the size of London within half a century. By 2056 there will be an extra 17 million people, taking the total to 67.9 million. Net migration is 190,000 a year. (23.5.08) Citizenship for record 164,000 foreigners Record numbers of foreign nationals are being granted citizenship: 164,635 people became British last year, a 7% rise in 12 months. More than nine in 10 people who applied for citizenship were accepted. The biggest group was from India, 9% of the total. (21.5.08) England to be most crowded in Europe The population of England will increase by a third over the next 50 years as it becomes the most crowded major nation in Europe, official forecasts suggest. England's population, now 50 million, will by 2056 be 68 million. (6.5.08) English is not the first language for 800,000 children More than 800,000 children do not speak English as their first language. (30.4.08) Britons fear race violence - poll Almost two-thirds of people in Britain fear race relations are so poor tensions are likely to spill over into violence. In a BBC survey 60% say the UK has too many immigrants and half want foreigners encouraged to leave. Asked if they thought immigration meant their local area didn't feel like Britain any more, a quarter agreed. Six out of 10 said immigration had made parts of Britain feel like a foreign country. (17.4.08) Four in five say Britain is facing a crisis over immigration Immigration is diluting our culture and leading to the breakdown of society, according to the most Britons; 83% say the country has a "population crisis"; 15% would halt immigration altogether and 84% would reduce it. Immigration is considered to be the biggest factor behind societal breakdown over the past decade. (9.4.08) Revealed: how immigration 'costs Britons jobs' Mass immigration has accompanied a fall in the number of Britons with jobs. Since 2004 the number of UK-born people working here has fallen by 500,000, while the number of migrants in work rose by 1.1 million, to 3.3 million. Britons have lost jobs to immigrants. The former cabinet minister Clare Short says that the Government had made a "very big mistake" in allowing large-scale immigration from eastern Europe. (6.4.08) Immigration curbs urged by peers The number of immigrants entering Britain should be capped, a House of Lords committee warns. Record levels of immigration are bringing no economic benefit to the country. The economic affairs committee rebukes the Government for using "irrelevant and misleading" economic statistics to justify the boom in immigration in the past decade. The net immigration of non-British persons has trebled from less than 100,000 a year in the early 1990s to more than 300,000 in 2006. (1.4.08) Home Office in illegal immigrants cover-up Hundreds of illegal immigrants, including a suspected murderer and other criminals, are working in care homes in Britain. A leaked report, produced more than two years ago, warned that the problems were "widespread" and "significant", but its findings have been ignored. Many of the illegal workers were using false names and forged identity documents to bypass police criminal records checks. Offenders are rarely brought to court. (30.3.08) 2,000 migrants a day are given right to live in UK Almost 2,000 immigrants a day are granted the right top live and work in Britain. More than 710,000 foreigners received National Insurance numbers in 2007. (21.3.08) Numbers arriving swell to 190,000 a year The number of immigrants forecast to enter Britain each year has risen to around 190,000. Official estimates are that the population will rise from 61 million to 67 million by 2020 and more than 70 million in 2030. (14.3.08) £28m in child benefit is paid to families living in Poland British taxpayers are paying £28 million in child benefit for youngsters living in eastern Europe; about 34,000 children of migrant workers were getting British state handouts, even though they do not live here. Additional sums are being paid out in child tax credits. Total payouts could be more than £50 million but figures are "not available". (8.3.08) EU expansion 'has spread terrorism' Terrorists and organised crime gangs have exploited the expansion of the EU. Sir Ian Blair, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said most of the organised crime and a "great deal" of terrorism in Britain emanated from Europe. (5.3.08) Foreigners given 85pc of new jobs since 1997 Almost nine in 10 new jobs created over the past decade have been taken by foreign-born workers. Of the 1.7 million more people in employment since 1997, 1.5 million were born outside the UK. Frank Field, a former Labour minister, said: "What the Government needs to do is to face up to the fact that we need to restrict the movement of labour from eastern Europe. We had the ability to do that, but now we would need to ask the European Commission for permission. And the Government seems unwilling to do that." (3.3.08) A million eastern Europeans have come to Britain in past four years More than 800,000 eastern Europeans have registered to work in Britain. Since the self-employed do not have to register the overall number is almost certainly above one million. (27.2.08) UK unable to sustain population, says study A study for the Optimum Population Trust finds that Government targets to cut carbon emissions by 60 per cent by 2050 will have little impact on the UK's sustainability because of the rate of population growth. Even if Britain were carbon neutral, it could only sustainably support 40 million people with the same standard of living. The chairman of the trust said the study showed the extent of the UK's overpopulation and the threat it poses to the environment and people's quality of life. She added: "It also shows how desperately we need a national population policy." (18.2.08) Benefits of immigration exaggerated, says peer One of the Prime Minister's senior advisers has warned that the economic benefits of allowing in millions of migrant workers have been vastly over-estimated. Lord Turner of Ecchinswell has accused Government ministers of knowing that such arguments did not stack up. He rejected arguments that without immigrants Britain would face a shortage of workers as mostly "economically illiterate". (14.2.08) Migrant figures 'higher than claimed' More than two-thirds of immigrants come from outside the EU, contrary to what the Government has claimed. The Statistics Commission has confirmed that the figure is 68%. (13.2.08) Over 2m foreigners are now working in Britain There has been a 75% increase in workers from abroad in the last six years. The number of foreigners in the UK workforce increased between 2001 and 2007 to just over two million people. (11.2.08) Immigrants in UK will top nine million Britain's immigrant population will rise to 9.1 million in a little over two decades compared with 5.4 million now says the Institute of Public Policy Research. The increase of 3.7 million is the same as adding a city the size of Coventry to Britain's population every two years. (31.1.08) Foreigners living in 1.5 million homes One in 15 homes is now occupied by immigrants. Hundreds of thousands of Eastern European workers have been given council houses. Foreigners live in more than 1.5 million homes, including 310,000 council houses and flats. Another 570,000 have been bought by people born outside Britain. (18.1.08) White flight 'is on the increase' The flight of the white middle classes from the inner cities is accelerating, the Government's race relations chief says. Interviewed on Radio Four, Trevor Phillips said: "We know that white flight is accelerating. That schools – we know this from studies done by Bristol University – are becoming more segregated than the areas they sit in." (15.1.08) England to be most crowded EU nation England is about to become the most crowded major country in Europe, overtaking Holland. About 70 per cent of recent population growth in England resulted from immigration and much of the rest was down to higher birth rates among immigrants. The population density is almost double the level in Germany and quadruple that in France. (3.1.08) English is minority language in 1,300 schools Children with English as their first language are now in the minority in more than 1,300 schools. In a total of 1,338 primary and secondary schools – more than one in 20 of all schools in England – children with English as their first language are in the minority. In 600 of these schools, fewer than a third of pupils speak English as their first language. (17.12.07) Britain's highest birth rates are among migrants A baby boom among immigrant families is driving the population to a record high. Britain's highest birth rates are in the Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities, both predominantly Muslim. The birth rate among women born in Pakistan but living in the UK is three times higher than that among British-born women. Of the total 669,531 births last year, 146,956 were to mothers born outside the UK. The figures do not reflect the total number of babies born in Britain's ethnic communities because they exclude those of British-born second-generation migrants. (9.12.07) 500,000: Record number of foreigners who settled here last year. 200,000: The number of Britons who decided to quit the country In 2006, 510,000 foreign migrants came to the UK to stay for at least 12 months, out of a record 591,000 new arrivals, only 14 per cent of which were Britons coming home. Not included are hundreds of thousands of east Europeans who have arrived in the past two years, since most say they are coming for less than 12 months. The biggest influx was from the New Commonwealth - India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka - with more than 200,000 migrants. Since 1997, nearly four million foreign nationals have come to Britain and 1.6 million have left; 1.8 million Britons have left, but only 979,000 have returned. The difference of around three million between the emigration of British nationals and immigration of foreigners represents a five per cent turnover of the population in 10 years. Previous immigrations did not exceed one per cent over 50 years. Over the past 20 years, the white British population has decreased slightly while the number of ethnic-minority Britons has doubled. (16.11.07) Restrictions call 81% of the public believe immigration in Britain should be cut substantially, while 54% dispute the Government's assertion that those coming into the country have helped the economy; 85% think that immigration is putting too much pressure on public services. (12.11.07) Foreigners fill half new jobs More than half - 52% - of all new jobs created under Labour have gone to foreigners, not 40.7% as the Government previously claimed. The number of migrant workers involved is given as 1.1 million. The true figure might be higher still. Frank Field, a former cabinet minister, puts it at 1.6 million. (31.10.07) Children Out of 669,000 babies born last year in England and Wales, 147,000, or 22%, were the children of foreign-born mothers. A further six per cent had British-born mothers but foreign-born fathers. Among the foreign mothers, a quarter were Asian, a quarter European, a quarter from Africa or the Caribbean, and a quarter from elsewhere. (24.10.07) Rising births will swell UK to 75m The number of people in the UK will exceed 75 million by the middle of the century, perhaps even 77 million. The increase will be the equivalent of building two new cities the size of London. The proportion of the population that is non-white is on course to grow from 9% at the last census in 2001 to 29% in 2051. (21.10.07) Foreign workers now 1.9 million Foreign workers now number 1.9 million, including those who entered Britain before 2004, up 70 per cent since Labour took power in 1997. (14.10.07) 2.2m immigrants arrive in five years More than 2.2 million immigrants arrived in the UK between 2001 and 2005 while 870,000 foreign-born people left the country, so the foreign-born resident population grew by 1.4 million in five years. At the same time, the UK-born resident population fell by half a million, with 897,000 leaving the country for a year or more and 394,000 returning. The net increase to the UK's population was 939,000 in the five years to last summer - an extra 515 people every day. (10.10.07) Migrants are a drain on Britain, says Left think-tank Hundreds of thousands of immigrants are a drain on Britain and its economy, says a Left-leaning think-tank. Migrants from many developing nations fail to pay their way, while those from wealthy countries, such as the United States and Australia, provide a boost for the economy. The IPPR report by the found that fewer than half of Britain's 650,000 Somalis, Bangladeshi, Turks and Pakistanis, have jobs and the four communities have the highest levels of benefit dependency. (30.9.07) White British children outnumbered in almost a fifth of education areas White British children are now a minority in almost a fifth of education authorities in England, being outnumbered at primary and secondary schools in 29 of the 150 local education authority areas. Across the country, pupils from ethnic minorities account for almost 22 per cent of those at primary school compared to 20.6 per cent last year. At secondary school, numbers rose at a similar rate, to 17.7 per cent. About one in eight pupils - some 800,000 - do not speak English as a first language. (28.9.07) Immigration estimates out by 45,000 a year and 5m more are on the way Immigration will add almost five million people to the population over the next 25 years, according to revised official estimates. Net immigration, previously expected to be 145,000 a year over the next two decades, is now expected to be 190,000 a year until 2031. (28.9.07) One in four babies is born to a foreign parent One in four babies born in the UK has a foreign mother or father. The proportion of babies born to a foreign parent had risen to 25 per cent compared to 20 per cent just six years ago. (23.8.07) NI papers given to 2 million migrants More than two million foreign nationals have been issued with National Insurance numbers to work in Britain in the past four years; 600,000 were issued to workers from Asia and the Middle East and 300,000 to Africans. In 2006 alone, there were 713,000 new registrations - double that in 2003-04. (25.7.07) House of Commons debate – Nicholas Soames MP Just over 1 million people have been granted British citizenship in the past 10 years. Net foreign immigration during that period was more than 2 million people, or 600 a day. (17.7.07) House of Commons debate – Frank Field MP In the last three years for which we have data, the number of people coming to this country is about 2 million. (17.7.07) 200,000 'social homes' were given to immigrants last year Five times more immigrants are given social housing than previously claimed, ... the Government has admitted that 200,000 of Britain's social homes - five per cent of the total - were given to immigrants last year. (2.7.07) One in 10 people living in Britain was born overseas One in 10 people living in Britain was born overseas - a far higher proportion than previously thought. Record levels of immigration are rapidly changing the make-up of the population, figures from the OECD show. ... In recent years, about half a million people have come to live in Britain every 12 months. (26.6.07) Mixed-race neighbours 'less trusting' People in ethnically mixed areas are less trusting of their neighbours and live in a more isolated existence, research has found. The greater the diversity, the looser the community bonds and the more withdrawn local residents become, says Robert Putnam, an American academic based at Harvard. (19.6.07) 4,000 terror suspects in UK, warns ex-Met chief Up to 4,000 terrorism suspects and their supporters are active in Britain, according to the former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lord Stevens. (7.5.07) Foreign prisoners clogging jails cost UK £400m a year Foreign prisoners now make up almost one in six of Britain's jail population and are costing the taxpayer almost £400 million a year to keep. ... There are now 12,122 foreign prisoners compared to around 10,000 just a year ago. (3.5.07) A nation of newcomers Immigration today adds 1 per cent to Britain's population every two years, or more than 5 per cent every decade. ... International migration into Britain now contributes around 80 per cent of Britain's annual population increase, and has done so since 1999. ... On present trends, by 2073, the majority population of this country will either have migrated here, or be the child or grandchild of parents who did so. (David Conway) (22.4.07) Foreign voters 'could decide next election' Nearly one million Commonwealth citizens could swing the result of a close general election unless voting eligibility is restricted. About 988,000 non-British citizens from 50 Commonwealth countries are entitled to vote while resident in Britain. (16.4.07) 200,000 'lost' asylum seekers may be allowed indefinite stay More than 200,000 failed asylum seekers may stay in Britain indefinitely because they cannot be traced. (2.4.07) Growing problem of cannabis farms Cannabis cultivation is booming in Britain. Police are raiding three indoor production sites a day and have closed down 1,500 cannabis farms in London alone since 2005. Up to three-quarters of the farms are run by Vietnamese criminal gangs. (13.3.07) Britain let in a million foreign workers over three years More than a million foreigners have been allowed to come to work in Britain in just three years - and given the right to remain indefinitely. They are also entitled to bring their families and settle. ... The figures total slightly more than a million but do not even include the workers' dependants, migrants on short-term work permits, workers from "old EU" countries such as Italy and Portugal, asylum-seekers or illegal immigrants. (11.3.07) We demand control of immigration Each year 223,000 more people settle in the UK than leave it. If immigration continues at the same rate, it will, given the children they will have, add 16 million people in the next 45 years. That means adding two cities the size of Cambridge every year. (Alasdair Palmer) (11.3.07) Immigration 'far higher' than the official figures say Far more immigrants are coming to Britain than official figures would suggest. ... The study estimates that net migration soared by 400,000 rather than the government figure of 185,000 in 2005. (5.1.07) Migrants 'add 4p a week' to your pocket The alleged economic benefit to Britain of record levels of immigration are a myth, new figures suggest. They show a "very slight" gain of around 4p a week for each member of the native population. ... "The much vaunted contribution of immigrants to the economy is very slight indeed." (3.1.07) One in eight pupils speaks English as second language One in eight primary school pupils now speaks English as a second language. There are now 419,000 primary pupils speaking other languages at home, a rise of 42,000 on last year, and 314,950 secondary pupils, an increase of 16,000, representing nearly one in 10. (29.9.06) Rear Admiral's warning Britain and Europe face being overrun by mass migration from the Third World within 30 years, says a senior Royal Navy strategist. Rear Admiral Chris Parry forecasts 'reverse colonisation', where migrants become more dominant than their hosts. (12.6.06)

For sources and more brief quotations and news summaries, see Short quotations. For more and longer extracts, see News and Views.

NEWS IN BRIEF

The huge and damaging impact of mass immigration on the environment, employment, overpopulation, national identity, social cohesion, crime, education, etc.

English is not the mother tongue of 900,000 pupils
900,000 schoolchildren do not speak English as a first language. More than one in seven pupils in primary schools speaks another language at home, double the rate of a decade ago. (8.5.09)

One-in-six rapes carried out by foreign attackers
Foreigners carried out one in six rapes in Britain last year, but police say it is increasingly difficult to bring foreign rapists to justice since for some there is no record of them having come into the country in the first place. (6.4.09)

One million migrants in just four years
The number of migrants here has risen by 21% or more than a million in four years to 2007, growing from 5.2 million to 6.3 million. There are more than 4 million from outside Europe - far more than those from inside the EU. (27.3.09)

More than three-quarters of Britons want to see jobless immigrants forced to leave UK
The Government has failed to 'get control' of the issue of immigration. A poll finds that nearly eight out of ten people believe all unemployed foreign migrants should be asked to leave the UK. (17.3.09)

Illegal immigrant figure 'is an 80 pc under-estimate'
A new estimate of the number of illegal immigrants in Britain is 725,000, 81 per cent more than the 430,000 estimated by last Home Office in 2005. (10.3.09)

Crime by foreigners has doubled in five years
Crime committed by foreign nationals has doubled in five years. Among the 15 police forces giving a breakdown by type of offence, there were 120 murders last year for which a foreign national was the prime suspect, and 426 rapes or attempted rapes. (8.3.09)

Reduce immigration urgently, say Labour and Tory voters
A cut in immigration is the number-one concern for Labour and Conservative voters. (27.2.09)

One in 9 British residents was born overseas
One in nine people living in Britain was born overseas. 6.5 million people born overseas were resident in Britain in the year to June 2008. This is 290,000 more than in the previous year and an increase of 1.2 million since 2004. In all, 10.7% of the British population were born overseas. (25.2.09)

Muslim population growth
According to official statistics, of "white British Christian" households 16 per cent have two or more dependent children; among the UK's "Pakistani Muslim" households, the figure is 50%; "Bangladeshi Muslims", 58%. (24.2.09)

Foreign workers hold one in seven UK jobs
With 3.8 million foreign workers are now employed in Britain. Those not born in Britain account for one in seven jobs after more than 1.8 million foreigners were added to the labour force over the last decade. Two thirds of those have come from outside the EU. Non-British born workers account for 13% of all employment in the last quarter of 2008. (18.2.09)

Muslim population 'rising 10 times faster than rest of society'
The Muslim population in Britain has grown by more than 500,000 to 2.4 million in just four years - 10 times faster than the rest of society. The number of mosques in Britain is already 1,600. (30.1.09)

Jobless up but more foreign workers enter UK
A record number of work permits were handed out to immigrants last year despite rising unemployment. More than 151,000 people from outside the EU were given permission to work in Britain. (24.1.09)

Asylum seekers 'face one in 10 chance of removal'
Asylum seekers who were told that they could not stay in Britain could face just a one in 10 chance of being removed, the Government's auditors said yesterday. There was also no system in place to track those granted asylum. (23.1.09)

We allowed a migrant free-for-all during Blair years, Cabinet minister Hazel Blears says
Labour allowed a 'free-for-all' on immigration during its first years in power, a Cabinet minister admits. Large numbers of economic migrants were let into the country claiming they were asylum seekers, Communities Secretary Hazel Blears said. The number of asylum seekers peaked in 2002 at just over 100,000 a year. Around 2.5 million foreign citizens are believed to have moved to Britain since Labour came to power. (12.1.09)

Migrant scandal - Britons feel neglected and betrayed
Britain's white working class feels it has been "betrayed" and "abandoned" in favour of immigrants, a Government report reveals. Poor white people living on some of the country's most deprived estates believe they are the biggest victims of a decade of mass immigration, according to the study. They feel unable to complain for fear of being branded racist. (3.1.09)

50 million invited to Europe
An EU job centre for migrants seeking work in Europe has been opened secretly in West Africa, part of a Brussels plan to invite more than 50 million African workers into Britain and other members of the 27-nation EU bloc. (3.1.09)

Migrants filled most new jobs
Nearly all the growth in new jobs in the past seven years has been accounted for by migrants. Between 2001 and 2008, employment in Britain grew by 1.342 million: 253,000 more British nationals and 1,087,000 more foreign workers in jobs. The British nationals figure includes migrants who hold British citizenship. Omitting them, the number of British-born workers in employment fell by 62,000. (16.12.08)

UK net immigration up to 237,000
Net immigration to the UK increased to 237,000 in 2007, 46,000 more than in 2006, and still slightly lower than the record figure of 244,000, reached in 2004. (19.11.08)

Wrongly approved visas allow 300,000 into UK every year
Around 300,000 foreigners who should not be granted visas are allowed into Britain every year, MPs have been told. The Government has estimated that there are up to 570,000 illegal immigrants in Britain, but with so many visas being issued incorrectly, that figure could run to millions. (19.11.08)

Non-European immigrants coming to Britain double in a year
The number of non-European immigrants coming to Britain almost doubled between 2006 and 2007. Immigrants entering Britain from non-European regions, such as Asia, rose from 90,000 in 2006 to 176,000 in 2007. In 2007 there were 2,123,000 immigrants living in Britain from outside Europe. (18.11.08)

Immigrant jobs shock
Immigrants are squeezing hundreds of thousands of British workers out of jobs. The number of British-born adults in work here fell by 365,000 in the past two years. During the same period the number of foreign-born adults working in Britain has soared by 865,000. (19.10.08)

Public 'misled by ministers over migrants'
The public has been misled by ministers over how many foreigners are coming to live and work in Britain. Prof David Hand, the head of the Royal Statistical Society, complained about a Home Office press notice. It ignored the fact that long-term immigration had hit a new record, with 605,000 moving here in 2007. (18.9.08)

One million of Pakistani origin in Britain
At least one million people of Pakistani origin now live in Britain, according to the government in Islamabad. With 3.7% of children born in England and Wales in 2005 having Pakistani parents, it is estimated that the population could increase to more than 2.6 million by 2031. (15.9.08)

Just 2 in 3 babies are white British
Fewer than two-thirds of newborn babies are registered as "white British". 64.4% of the 649,371 babies born in England and Wales in 2005 were recorded in the category; 9% were Asian, 5% black, 3.5% "mixed" and 2.4% "other ethnic group". Irish and 'other' whites made up another 5%, with just over 10% unrecorded. (30.8.08)

'Churning' population hits 61m as record numbers come and go
The make-up of Britain's population is changing at an unprecedented rate with more than one million people either settling here or leaving last year. The population has reached almost 61 million. Long-term immigration hit a new record, with 605,000 moving here in 2007. Since 2001, long-term immigration – those moving here for at least a year – has risen by 21%. There has been a sharp rise in the birth rate, particularly among non-British mothers. Over the past six years, the number of births to non-UK born women has risen by 64%. (22.8.08)

270,000 foreign workers arrive in a year
The number of foreign workers has risen dramatically, with nearly 300,000 people coming to work here in the past year. This is the biggest annual influx of foreign workers since the Government started to keep count 10 years ago. The number of foreigners over the age of 16 working in Britain reached 2.29 million at the end of March – 270,000 more than at the same time last year. (20.8.08)

Immigration biggest issue for voters
Thirty per cent of people rank immigration as their priority election issue, beating concerns over crime, health and education. (29.7.08)

Over half of young knife suspects are black, Scotland Yard figures reveal
Black youths are suspected of more than half of reported knife crime among children in the capital, according to confidential figures, but most victims are white. (20.7.08)

Immigration: now even MPs warn... we fear riots in Britain
Immigration is the single biggest cause of public concern, an all-party group of MPs warn. The Government must act urgently to defuse tensions before the concern boils over into riots. (16.7.08)

Multicultural Britain enjoys a modern-day baby boom
Almost one in four babies (23%) is now born to foreign mothers. On average, foreign women have 2.5 children each, while British mothers have an average of 1.7 children each. (11.7.08)

Nine out of 10 immigrants 'non-European'
More than two million foreign nationals have moved to Britain in recent years and nine in 10 of them came from outside Europe. A net 2.3 million immigrants arrived between 1991 and 2006, the majority from Africa and Asia. (2.6.08)

Immigration count 'is not fit for purpose'
Hundreds of thousands of short-term immigrants are not included in official statistics and the counting system is so unreliable that it is not even possible to know the true population of Britain. (23.5.08)

Migrants will help to swell population of England by two London-sized cities within 50 years
The population of England is to increase by the equivalent of two new cities of the size of London within half a century. By 2056 there will be an extra 17 million people, taking the total to 67.9 million. Net migration is 190,000 a year. (23.5.08)

Citizenship for record 164,000 foreigners
Record numbers of foreign nationals are being granted citizenship: 164,635 people became British last year, a 7% rise in 12 months. More than nine in 10 people who applied for citizenship were accepted. The biggest group was from India, 9% of the total. (21.5.08)

England to be most crowded in Europe
The population of England will increase by a third over the next 50 years as it becomes the most crowded major nation in Europe, official forecasts suggest. England's population, now 50 million, will by 2056 be 68 million. (6.5.08)

English is not the first language for 800,000 children
More than 800,000 children do not speak English as their first language. (30.4.08)

Britons fear race violence - poll
Almost two-thirds of people in Britain fear race relations are so poor tensions are likely to spill over into violence. In a BBC survey 60% say the UK has too many immigrants and half want foreigners encouraged to leave. Asked if they thought immigration meant their local area didn't feel like Britain any more, a quarter agreed. Six out of 10 said immigration had made parts of Britain feel like a foreign country. (17.4.08)

Four in five say Britain is facing a crisis over immigration
Immigration is diluting our culture and leading to the breakdown of society, according to the most Britons; 83% say the country has a "population crisis"; 15% would halt immigration altogether and 84% would reduce it. Immigration is considered to be the biggest factor behind societal breakdown over the past decade. (9.4.08)

Revealed: how immigration 'costs Britons jobs'
Mass immigration has accompanied a fall in the number of Britons with jobs. Since 2004 the number of UK-born people working here has fallen by 500,000, while the number of migrants in work rose by 1.1 million, to 3.3 million. Britons have lost jobs to immigrants. The former cabinet minister Clare Short says that the Government had made a "very big mistake" in allowing large-scale immigration from eastern Europe. (6.4.08)

Immigration curbs urged by peers
The number of immigrants entering Britain should be capped, a House of Lords committee warns. Record levels of immigration are bringing no economic benefit to the country. The economic affairs committee rebukes the Government for using "irrelevant and misleading" economic statistics to justify the boom in immigration in the past decade. The net immigration of non-British persons has trebled from less than 100,000 a year in the early 1990s to more than 300,000 in 2006. (1.4.08)

Home Office in illegal immigrants cover-up
Hundreds of illegal immigrants, including a suspected murderer and other criminals, are working in care homes in Britain. A leaked report, produced more than two years ago, warned that the problems were "widespread" and "significant", but its findings have been ignored. Many of the illegal workers were using false names and forged identity documents to bypass police criminal records checks. Offenders are rarely brought to court. (30.3.08)

2,000 migrants a day are given right to live in UK
Almost 2,000 immigrants a day are granted the right top live and work in Britain. More than 710,000 foreigners received National Insurance numbers in 2007. (21.3.08)

Numbers arriving swell to 190,000 a year
The number of immigrants forecast to enter Britain each year has risen to around 190,000. Official estimates are that the population will rise from 61 million to 67 million by 2020 and more than 70 million in 2030. (14.3.08)

£28m in child benefit is paid to families living in Poland
British taxpayers are paying £28 million in child benefit for youngsters living in eastern Europe; about 34,000 children of migrant workers were getting British state handouts, even though they do not live here. Additional sums are being paid out in child tax credits. Total payouts could be more than £50 million but figures are "not available". (8.3.08)

EU expansion 'has spread terrorism'
Terrorists and organised crime gangs have exploited the expansion of the EU. Sir Ian Blair, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said most of the organised crime and a "great deal" of terrorism in Britain emanated from Europe. (5.3.08)

Foreigners given 85pc of new jobs since 1997
Almost nine in 10 new jobs created over the past decade have been taken by foreign-born workers. Of the 1.7 million more people in employment since 1997, 1.5 million were born outside the UK. Frank Field, a former Labour minister, said: "What the Government needs to do is to face up to the fact that we need to restrict the movement of labour from eastern Europe. We had the ability to do that, but now we would need to ask the European Commission for permission. And the Government seems unwilling to do that." (3.3.08)

A million eastern Europeans have come to Britain in past four years
More than 800,000 eastern Europeans have registered to work in Britain. Since the self-employed do not have to register the overall number is almost certainly above one million. (27.2.08)

UK unable to sustain population, says study
A study for the Optimum Population Trust finds that Government targets to cut carbon emissions by 60 per cent by 2050 will have little impact on the UK's sustainability because of the rate of population growth. Even if Britain were carbon neutral, it could only sustainably support 40 million people with the same standard of living. The chairman of the trust said the study showed the extent of the UK's overpopulation and the threat it poses to the environment and people's quality of life. She added: "It also shows how desperately we need a national population policy." (18.2.08)

Benefits of immigration exaggerated, says peer
One of the Prime Minister's senior advisers has warned that the economic benefits of allowing in millions of migrant workers have been vastly over-estimated. Lord Turner of Ecchinswell has accused Government ministers of knowing that such arguments did not stack up. He rejected arguments that without immigrants Britain would face a shortage of workers as mostly "economically illiterate". (14.2.08)

Migrant figures 'higher than claimed'
More than two-thirds of immigrants come from outside the EU, contrary to what the Government has claimed. The Statistics Commission has confirmed that the figure is 68%. (13.2.08)

Over 2m foreigners are now working in Britain
There has been a 75% increase in workers from abroad in the last six years. The number of foreigners in the UK workforce increased between 2001 and 2007 to just over two million people. (11.2.08)

Immigrants in UK will top nine million
Britain's immigrant population will rise to 9.1 million in a little over two decades compared with 5.4 million now says the Institute of Public Policy Research. The increase of 3.7 million is the same as adding a city the size of Coventry to Britain's population every two years. (31.1.08)

Foreigners living in 1.5 million homes
One in 15 homes is now occupied by immigrants. Hundreds of thousands of Eastern European workers have been given council houses. Foreigners live in more than 1.5 million homes, including 310,000 council houses and flats. Another 570,000 have been bought by people born outside Britain. (18.1.08)

White flight 'is on the increase'
The flight of the white middle classes from the inner cities is accelerating, the Government's race relations chief says. Interviewed on Radio Four, Trevor Phillips said: "We know that white flight is accelerating. That schools – we know this from studies done by Bristol University – are becoming more segregated than the areas they sit in." (15.1.08)

England to be most crowded EU nation
England is about to become the most crowded major country in Europe, overtaking Holland. About 70 per cent of recent population growth in England resulted from immigration and much of the rest was down to higher birth rates among immigrants. The population density is almost double the level in Germany and quadruple that in France. (3.1.08)

English is minority language in 1,300 schools
Children with English as their first language are now in the minority in more than 1,300 schools. In a total of 1,338 primary and secondary schools – more than one in 20 of all schools in England – children with English as their first language are in the minority. In 600 of these schools, fewer than a third of pupils speak English as their first language. (17.12.07)

Britain's highest birth rates are among migrants
A baby boom among immigrant families is driving the population to a record high. Britain's highest birth rates are in the Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities, both predominantly Muslim. The birth rate among women born in Pakistan but living in the UK is three times higher than that among British-born women. Of the total 669,531 births last year, 146,956 were to mothers born outside the UK. The figures do not reflect the total number of babies born in Britain's ethnic communities because they exclude those of British-born second-generation migrants. (9.12.07)

500,000: Record number of foreigners who settled here last year. 200,000: The number of Britons who decided to quit the country
In 2006, 510,000 foreign migrants came to the UK to stay for at least 12 months, out of a record 591,000 new arrivals, only 14 per cent of which were Britons coming home. Not included are hundreds of thousands of east Europeans who have arrived in the past two years, since most say they are coming for less than 12 months. The biggest influx was from the New Commonwealth - India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka - with more than 200,000 migrants.
Since 1997, nearly four million foreign nationals have come to Britain and 1.6 million have left; 1.8 million Britons have left, but only 979,000 have returned. The difference of around three million between the emigration of British nationals and immigration of foreigners represents a five per cent turnover of the population in 10 years. Previous immigrations did not exceed one per cent over 50 years. Over the past 20 years, the white British population has decreased slightly while the number of ethnic-minority Britons has doubled. (16.11.07)

Restrictions call
81% of the public believe immigration in Britain should be cut substantially, while 54% dispute the Government's assertion that those coming into the country have helped the economy; 85% think that immigration is putting too much pressure on public services. (12.11.07)

Foreigners fill half new jobs
More than half - 52% - of all new jobs created under Labour have gone to foreigners, not 40.7% as the Government previously claimed. The number of migrant workers involved is given as 1.1 million. The true figure might be higher still. Frank Field, a former cabinet minister, puts it at 1.6 million. (31.10.07)

Children
Out of 669,000 babies born last year in England and Wales, 147,000, or 22%, were the children of foreign-born mothers. A further six per cent had British-born mothers but foreign-born fathers. Among the foreign mothers, a quarter were Asian, a quarter European, a quarter from Africa or the Caribbean, and a quarter from elsewhere. (24.10.07)

Rising births will swell UK to 75m
The number of people in the UK will exceed 75 million by the middle of the century, perhaps even 77 million. The increase will be the equivalent of building two new cities the size of London. The proportion of the population that is non-white is on course to grow from 9% at the last census in 2001 to 29% in 2051. (21.10.07)

Foreign workers now 1.9 million
Foreign workers now number 1.9 million, including those who entered Britain before 2004, up 70 per cent since Labour took power in 1997. (14.10.07)

2.2m immigrants arrive in five years
More than 2.2 million immigrants arrived in the UK between 2001 and 2005 while 870,000 foreign-born people left the country, so the foreign-born resident population grew by 1.4 million in five years. At the same time, the UK-born resident population fell by half a million, with 897,000 leaving the country for a year or more and 394,000 returning. The net increase to the UK's population was 939,000 in the five years to last summer - an extra 515 people every day. (10.10.07)

Migrants are a drain on Britain, says Left think-tank
Hundreds of thousands of immigrants are a drain on Britain and its economy, says a Left-leaning think-tank. Migrants from many developing nations fail to pay their way, while those from wealthy countries, such as the United States and Australia, provide a boost for the economy. The IPPR report by the found that fewer than half of Britain's 650,000 Somalis, Bangladeshi, Turks and Pakistanis, have jobs and the four communities have the highest levels of benefit dependency. (30.9.07)

White British children outnumbered in almost a fifth of education areas
White British children are now a minority in almost a fifth of education authorities in England, being outnumbered at primary and secondary schools in 29 of the 150 local education authority areas. Across the country, pupils from ethnic minorities account for almost 22 per cent of those at primary school compared to 20.6 per cent last year. At secondary school, numbers rose at a similar rate, to 17.7 per cent. About one in eight pupils - some 800,000 - do not speak English as a first language. (28.9.07)

Immigration estimates out by 45,000 a year and 5m more are on the way
Immigration will add almost five million people to the population over the next 25 years, according to revised official estimates. Net immigration, previously expected to be 145,000 a year over the next two decades, is now expected to be 190,000 a year until 2031. (28.9.07)

One in four babies is born to a foreign parent
One in four babies born in the UK has a foreign mother or father. The proportion of babies born to a foreign parent had risen to 25 per cent compared to 20 per cent just six years ago. (23.8.07)

NI papers given to 2 million migrants
More than two million foreign nationals have been issued with National Insurance numbers to work in Britain in the past four years; 600,000 were issued to workers from Asia and the Middle East and 300,000 to Africans. In 2006 alone, there were 713,000 new registrations - double that in 2003-04. (25.7.07)

House of Commons debate – Nicholas Soames MP
Just over 1 million people have been granted British citizenship in the past 10 years. Net foreign immigration during that period was more than 2 million people, or 600 a day. (17.7.07)

House of Commons debate – Frank Field MP
In the last three years for which we have data, the number of people coming to this country is about 2 million. (17.7.07)

200,000 'social homes' were given to immigrants last year
Five times more immigrants are given social housing than previously claimed, ... the Government has admitted that 200,000 of Britain's social homes - five per cent of the total - were given to immigrants last year. (2.7.07)

One in 10 people living in Britain was born overseas
One in 10 people living in Britain was born overseas - a far higher proportion than previously thought. Record levels of immigration are rapidly changing the make-up of the population, figures from the OECD show. ... In recent years, about half a million people have come to live in Britain every 12 months. (26.6.07)

Mixed-race neighbours 'less trusting'
People in ethnically mixed areas are less trusting of their neighbours and live in a more isolated existence, research has found. The greater the diversity, the looser the community bonds and the more withdrawn local residents become, says Robert Putnam, an American academic based at Harvard. (19.6.07)

4,000 terror suspects in UK, warns ex-Met chief
Up to 4,000 terrorism suspects and their supporters are active in Britain, according to the former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lord Stevens. (7.5.07)

Foreign prisoners clogging jails cost UK £400m a year
Foreign prisoners now make up almost one in six of Britain's jail population and are costing the taxpayer almost £400 million a year to keep. ... There are now 12,122 foreign prisoners compared to around 10,000 just a year ago. (3.5.07)

A nation of newcomers
Immigration today adds 1 per cent to Britain's population every two years, or more than 5 per cent every decade. ... International migration into Britain now contributes around 80 per cent of Britain's annual population increase, and has done so since 1999. ... On present trends, by 2073, the majority population of this country will either have migrated here, or be the child or grandchild of parents who did so. (David Conway) (22.4.07)

Foreign voters 'could decide next election'
Nearly one million Commonwealth citizens could swing the result of a close general election unless voting eligibility is restricted. About 988,000 non-British citizens from 50 Commonwealth countries are entitled to vote while resident in Britain. (16.4.07)

200,000 'lost' asylum seekers may be allowed indefinite stay
More than 200,000 failed asylum seekers may stay in Britain indefinitely because they cannot be traced. (2.4.07)

Growing problem of cannabis farms
Cannabis cultivation is booming in Britain. Police are raiding three indoor production sites a day and have closed down 1,500 cannabis farms in London alone since 2005. Up to three-quarters of the farms are run by Vietnamese criminal gangs. (13.3.07)

Britain let in a million foreign workers over three years
More than a million foreigners have been allowed to come to work in Britain in just three years - and given the right to remain indefinitely. They are also entitled to bring their families and settle. ... The figures total slightly more than a million but do not even include the workers' dependants, migrants on short-term work permits, workers from "old EU" countries such as Italy and Portugal, asylum-seekers or illegal immigrants. (11.3.07)

We demand control of immigration
Each year 223,000 more people settle in the UK than leave it. If immigration continues at the same rate, it will, given the children they will have, add 16 million people in the next 45 years. That means adding two cities the size of Cambridge every year. (Alasdair Palmer) (11.3.07)

Immigration 'far higher' than the official figures say
Far more immigrants are coming to Britain than official figures would suggest. ... The study estimates that net migration soared by 400,000 rather than the government figure of 185,000 in 2005. (5.1.07)

Migrants 'add 4p a week' to your pocket
The alleged economic benefit to Britain of record levels of immigration are a myth, new figures suggest. They show a "very slight" gain of around 4p a week for each member of the native population. ... "The much vaunted contribution of immigrants to the economy is very slight indeed." (3.1.07)

One in eight pupils speaks English as second language
One in eight primary school pupils now speaks English as a second language. There are now 419,000 primary pupils speaking other languages at home, a rise of 42,000 on last year, and 314,950 secondary pupils, an increase of 16,000, representing nearly one in 10. (29.9.06)

Rear Admiral's warning
Britain and Europe face being overrun by mass migration from the Third World within 30 years, says a senior Royal Navy strategist. Rear Admiral Chris Parry forecasts 'reverse colonisation', where migrants become more dominant than their hosts. (12.6.06)

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