bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

knowledgeQuestion

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Agence France-Presse

Net migration to the UK hit a record high last year, official figures showed on Thursday, heaping pressure on Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who has vowed to reduce new arrivals.
Immigration – long a vexed political issue in Britain – is set to be a key issue in a general election expected next year, which the main opposition Labour Party are currently favourites to win.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said net migration – the difference between the number of people arriving in Britain and those leaving – was 745,000 in 2022, higher than previously thought.
It revised the figure upwards by 139,000 from what was already a record when released in May, citing “unexpected patterns” in the behaviour of migrants.

Migration was fairly stable before the #COVID19 pandemic but patterns and behaviours have been shifting considerably.
More people are arriving from non-EU countries, before migration was driven by people from EU countries.
Scroll through to see how things have changed 👉
— Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) November 23, 2023

Sunak has long described regular immigration levels as “too high”.
His party won by a landslide under the leadership of Boris Johnson at the last election in 2019, largely on a promise to bring net migration numbers down.
The Conservatives have repeatedly promised that leaving the European Union, which ended the free movement of people from member states, would allow the UK to “take back control” of its borders.
But legal migration has soared since Britain formally left the EU in January 2020. In 2021, net migration was 488,000.
Sacked UK minister Braverman attacks PM Sunak as failing and weak
Some Tory backbenchers urged Sunak to “act now” to cut net migration and meet the party’s 2019 pledge.
“This really is ‘do or die’ for our party,” the New Conservatives group of right-wing lawmakers said in a statement.
A spokesperson for Sunak said it was clear net migration “remains far too high” and hinted that further measures to reduce it were on the horizon.
The government has already cracked down on visa applications for dependents of students and is reportedly mulling raising the minimum salary threshold for work visas.

“We believe there is much more to do and where the [visa] system is being abused we will leave no stone unturned in rooting that out,” Sunak’s spokesperson told reporters.
The ONS added though that net migration for the year to June 2023 is estimated to drop to 672,000.
It said 1.2 million people came to Britain during that time, while 508,000 left.
“While it is too early to say if this is the start of a new downward trend, these more recent estimates indicate a slowing of immigration coupled with increasing emigration,” the ONS said.
Sunak fights to save Rwanda migrants treaty; new plan to be ready in ‘days’
Interior minister James Cleverly focused on this lower number.
“This figure is not showing a significant increase from last year’s figures and is largely in line with our own immigration statistics,” the home secretary said.
Most new arrivals were from non-EU countries, including India and Nigeria, continuing a trend seen since the 2016 Brexit referendum.
Study accounted for 39 per cent of non-EU arrivals, while 33 per cent came for work – up from 22 per cent last year. The ONS attributed that rise to more health and care visas, with Britain’s National Health Service under pressure to find staff.

On top of the record number of legal migrants, Sunak is struggling to cut the number of irregular arrivals crossing the Channel from northern France on small boats. More than 28,000 have undertaken the dangerous crossing this year.
The government has deemed such crossings illegal but its much-trumpeted plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda was struck down by the courts last week. Sunak has vowed new “emergency” legislation and a revised treaty with Kigali to get flights in the air by the spring.
The Tories, in power since 2010, lag well behind centre-left Labour in opinion polls ahead of an election that must be held by January 2025.
Labour said Thursday’s figures highlighted the government’s “failure” on immigration.


Who is Liam Payne’s friend and ‘big brother’, Ant Middleton? The SAS: Who Dares Win alum invited the former One Direction star on his documentary, and says he still spoke to him ‘quite often’

Wary of China, US ranks Japan ‘first’ among Aukus partners: State Department No 2 official

China agrees to resume dialogue with Britain, Wang Yi tells new UK foreign secretary

Who is Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s 18-year-old stepdaughter, Jessie Phoenix Jopling? Sam Taylor-Johnson’s daughter with White Cube owner Jay Jopling is very private – but her sister hangs with Harry Styles

Britain

Record migration to UK piles pressure on PM Rishi Sunak

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks during the opening session of the Global Food Security Summit in London on Monday. Photo: Reuters

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, with Emma White at her studio in Sunny Bank Mills, hammers a piece of jewellery during a meeting with small business owners on Thursday. Photo: Reuters

A British police officer stands guard on the beach of Dungeness, on the southeast coast of England, as Royal National Lifeboat Institution staff help migrants to disembark from a lifeboat after they were picked up at sea while attempting to cross the English Channel in June 2022. Photo: AFP

Netherlands far-right’s Geert Wilders seeks to form Dutch government after shock election win

Dutch anti-Islam, anti-EU populist politician Geert Wilders looks set to become the Netherlands’ next prime minister. Photo: EPA-EFE

Geert Wilders softened his anti-Islam rhetoric during the campaign. Photo: EPA-EFE

The election was called after the fourth and final coalition of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte resigned in July. Photo: AP

VVD party members watch Dutch politician and leader of the Party for Freedom Geert Wilders after the announcement of the first exit polls of the general election, at the VVD party headquarters in The Hague. Photo: AFP

UK’s Rishi Sunak nears first anniversary in power with little to celebrate

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak leaving 10 Downing Street. Photo: Reuters

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a tour of the Middle East last week. Photo: dpa

 Labour leader Keir Starmer is on track to become Britain’s next prime minister. Bloomberg

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty. Photo: Reuters

Blow for Rishi Sunak as UK Conservatives suffer two damaging by-election losses

Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. File photo: Reuters

Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party. Photo: Bloomberg

News

World

Europe

Despite the British leader’s vow to reduce arrivals, official figures showed net migration last year hit new levels
Immigration is set to be a key issue in the coming general election, which the opposition Labour Party are currently favourites to win


Despite the British leader’s vow to reduce arrivals, official figures showed net migration last year hit new levels.


Record migration to UK piles pressure on PM Rishi Sunak

Despite the British leader’s vow to reduce arrivals, official figures showed net migration last year hit new levels Immigration is set to be a key issue in the coming general election, which the opposition Labour Party are currently favourites to win

Despite the British leader’s vow to reduce arrivals, official figures showed net migration last year hit new levels

Immigration is set to be a key issue in the coming general election, which the opposition Labour Party are currently favourites to win