Government figures reveal net rise in immigration
Data released by the ONS has revealed that net migration levels hit a new record high in 2022.
The overall population in the UK increased by a net of 606,000, as more people arrived on student and work visas from outside the EU. The Ukraine and Hong Kong resettlement and humanitarian visa schemes also contributed to the sharp rise, according to the ONS.
The data revealed that the number of non-EU nationals who arrived in the UK via humanitarian routes rose from 9% to 19% in 2022, noting that “most people arriving to the UK in 2022 were non-EU nationals (925,000), followed by EU (151,000) and British (88,000)”. It also showed that more EU nationals left the UK last year (202,000) than arrived (151,000).
Predictably the Brexit argument surfaced once again, with right-wing tabloids expressing outrage and betrayal, and left-leaning outlets highlighting the complexities of the report. Interestingly, right-wing broadsheets appeared to be more level about the statistics, taking the time to analytically interpret the range of statistics.
Migration is soaring – but there’s more the figures than meets the eye:
The method for counting people in and out of the country has completely changed
Why the panic over rising immigration? The post-Brexit system is working
How Brexit failed to take control – it made immigration rise
- Factually misleading: In the House of Commons, Labour’s shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said support given to Ukrainians and Hong Kongers had “unusually affected the figures”.
The Sun performed its usual brand of hatred for everything with a “both the Tories and Labour are terrible because they don’t care we’re all suffering from ‘migrant woes'” approach…
Rishi Sunak will not bring down mind-boggling immigration numbers for a long while — and they would RISE under Labour
…while a Sky News interview with Rishi Sunak shows he clearly intends to bring down migration levels, contrary to the Sun’s supposition.
Rishi Sunak vows to bring net migration below level he ‘inherited’ upon becoming prime minister
Rishi Sunak pledges to cut legal migration with new measures
GB News interviewed people who reinforced their immigrant hating agenda
‘They don’t care!’ Furious Britons blast MPs for ignoring voters after sharp immigration rise
…and the Daily Mail predictably took the statistics as an opportunity to somehow link it all back to Keir Starmer.
Keir Starmer refuses to say how much Labour would cut immigration by – after key ally admits it could RISE from 500,000 a year to plug skills gaps
