Responding to the ONS migration figures released today, CPS Research Director Karl Williams said:
‘Today’s net migration figures from the ONS are astonishing. Not only is the figure of 728k for 2023-4 far higher than expected, but numbers for 2022-3 have been revised upwards by 166k to a new record of 906k. The scale of this adjustment raises a serious question mark over the quality of our migration data, which drives crucial policy decisions.
‘More broadly, net migration in the last four years now stands at over 2.5 million, which represents population growth of 3.8% – equivalent to the combined populations of Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield, Manchester and Bristol.
‘As Kemi Badenoch said yesterday in her speech to the Centre for Policy Studies on the topic, this is an extraordinary and historically unprecedented rate of change. For example, our analysis shows that we would have needed to add more than 800,000 to housing targets over those four years – on the methodology used by the Government until recently – just to cope.’
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NOTES TO EDITORS
- Karl Williams is Research Director at the Centre for Policy Studies.
- Previous CPS reports on immigration:
- Yesterday the Centre for Policy Studies hosted a speech by the Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch MP on immigration policy.
- For further information please contact Josh Coupland on 07912 485655 and [email protected].
- The Centre for Policy Studies is one of the oldest and most influential think tanks in Westminster. With a focus on taxation, economic growth, business, welfare, housing and green growth, its goal is to develop policies that widen enterprise, ownership and opportunity.
Date Added: Thursday 28th November 2024
