Figures spark immigration debate

New immigration figures being published by the Goverment today will confirm that levels of immigration are continuing at about 200,000 a year, says immigration campaigner Sir Andrew Green. The Government’s own projections show that the UK population will reach 70 million in 20 years’ time.

Of the extra ten million, seven million will be due to immigration, Sir Andrew says.That is equivalent to seven times the population of our second largest city, Birmingham. Almost all the increase will be in England - much of it in the South-East. Sir Andrew welcomed the parliamentary cross-party group on balanced migration led by Frank Field and Nicholas Soames.It iscalling for immigrationto bebrought down to roughly the level of emigration, currently about 120,000 a year.That would stabilise the population of the UK at about 65 million by mid-century, Sir Andrew says.