I blame record-high immigration on one man – Boris Johnson
Having campaigned for a Leave vote, the former PM believed in controlling migration, rather than reducing it, writes Sunder Katwala. It was a classic case of trying to have his cake and eat it
Another set of record net migration figures – with 672,000 more people arriving than leaving the UK in the 12 months to June 2023 – is causing political headaches for Rishi Sunak.
Why is immigration so high? The new figures continue to be boosted by exceptional events and flows in 2022. The ONS calculate that net migration peaked at a record level of 745,000 in the year to December 2022 due to people coming from Ukraine and Hong Kong. But the main reason that immigration has risen rather than fallen during this parliament are the political and policy choices made by Boris Johnson’s government to liberalise non-EU immigration after Brexit.
So these net migration figures are the immigration consequences of Boris Johnson’s choices.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies