When William the Conqueror invaded England in 1066 and changed the face and history of the country forever, he came with just 10,000 men. Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggest net migration of over 900,000 in the year to June 2023 alone, a new high.
Questionable Figures
These figures are themselves a revision of the original ONS estimate of net migration of 728,000 and are also an estimate based on, according to the ONS, improved methodology.
The ONS has previously been criticised for its ‘dated methodology’, indeed it has been claimed that no-one in government actually knows the population of Great Britain.
Whatever the exact numbers, there is no doubt that a figure of over 900,000 net new arrivals in one year, which would account for two cities the size of Bristol, will do nothing to ease the concerns of those worried about mass migration and its effects on Britain.
Political Response
Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, described the figures as ‘horrendous’, saying that the numbers would increase pressure on public services, drive house prices up and wages down and produce ‘very disjointed societies and communities’.
Meanwhile Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservative Party, member of the government that allowed the figures to get so high and self-proclaimed ‘first-generation immigrant’, said that were her part re-elected, Britain would no longer be a ‘hotel’ for immigrants.
As is traditional for a new governing party, Labour said that they were ‘clearing up the mess’ of the previous government.
Where They Come From, Where They Are Going
The ONS figures show that India, Nigeria, Pakistan, China and Zimbabwe were the largest sources of new arrivals.
The locations that have seen the greatest influx of immigration are Middlesborough, Leicester, Coventry, Camden and Newham.
Middlesborough has seen its population increase by almost 10% since 2011, while in Newham the population increase was over 14%.
Stats for Leicester indicate that 3.6% of its current population arrived in the last financial year. It is also worth noting that even without new arrivals in 2023, the 2021 population of Leicester, according to the census, was already 43.3% Asian. Newham has also been majority non-white for decades.
Mass Migration Scepticism Rising
Mass and illegal immigration have increasingly come to dominate politics in Britain and around Europe, with several anti-mass migration parties rising in popularity in recent years.
At the general election Reform UK received 14% of the vote, up from 2% at the previous election when it was known as the Brexit Party.
Meanwhile in Europe, the German AfD has become the fourth largest party in the Bundestag, the Freedom Party, led by Geert Wilders, topped the Dutch 2023 general election after years on the fringes and in France, Marine Le Pen appears to be coming closer with every try of eventually winning the presidency.
