Net migration data due after Starmer's warning on ‘island of strangers'
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) will give its first estimate of net migration for the 12 months to December 2024, along with updated figures for the years to June 2024 and to December 2023.
The most recent estimates, published by the ONS in November, put net migration for the year to June 2024 at a provisional total of 728,000, down from a record 906,000 in the previous 12 months.
A further drop is likely to be seen in the new estimate for the year to December, following the introduction in early 2024 by the previous Conservative government of restrictions on people eligible to travel to the UK on work or study visas.
The latest figures will come less than a fortnight after Sir Keir Starmer said high net migration had caused 'incalculable' damage to British society, as he set out a series of measures aimed at reducing further the number of people moving long term to the UK.
The Prime Minister, who said the country risks becoming an 'island of strangers' without better integration, said he wanted net migration to have fallen 'significantly' by the next general election – but refused to set a target number.
Sir Keir's plan includes reforming work and study visas and requiring a higher level of English across all immigration routes, and is expected to reduce the number of people coming to the UK by up to 100,000 per year.
Sir Keir's reference to strangers faced criticism – including from Labour backbenchers – as it was said by some to have echoes of Enoch Powell's infamous 'rivers of blood' speech.
But Home Secretary Yvette Cooper defended the Prime Minister, insisting the tone of his plan was 'completely different' from the 1968 anti-immigration speech.
The Prime Minister's spokesman later confirmed Sir Keir stood by the words he used and rejected 'absolutely' the Powell comparisons.
Results of a poll published earlier this week suggested Britons feel disconnected from society, wary of other people and worried about community tensions.
The More In Common survey of more than 13,000 British adults found half said they felt disconnected from society, while 44% said they sometimes felt like a 'stranger' in their own country.
But the poll suggested that the reasons for disconnection went beyond immigration and culture, with economic insecurity closely related to feelings of alienation.
For many years, the level of immigration – people coming to the UK – has been higher than the level of emigration – people leaving – meaning more people are coming to settle in the UK than are leaving to settle in another country.
The Government's promise to 'take back control of our borders' comes as Labour battles a surge in support for Reform UK, which won a by-election and council seats across England earlier this month, with policies including a 'freeze' on immigration.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
15 minutes ago
- The Independent
Kneecap rapper faces wait over whether terror charge is thrown out
A member of rap trio Kneecap faces a wait to find out whether his terrorism charge will be thrown out. Liam Og O hAnnaidh will now find out next month if he has a case to answer after Wednesday's hearing was adjourned. Prosecutors allege the 27-year-old displayed a flag in support of proscribed terror organisation Hezbollah at a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, in November last year. During Wednesday's three-hour hearing, the defence team of O hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, argued the case should be thrown out, citing a technical error in the way the charge against him was brought. Brenda Campbell KC told the court the Attorney General had not given permission for the case to be brought against the defendant when police informed him he was to face a terror charge on May 21. She said consent was given the following day, but that meant the charge falls outside of the six-month time frame in which criminal charges against a defendant can be brought. Prosecutor Michael Bisgrove said permission was not required until the defendant's first court appearance and that permission did not need to be sought in order to bring a criminal charge. Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring adjourned the case until September 26, when he will rule on whether he has the jurisdiction to try the case. Hundreds of Kneecap supporters waving flags and holding banners greeted O hAnnaidh as he arrived at court alongside fellow bandmates Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh. Demonstrations in support of the rapper were organised outside the court building in London, as well as in Dublin. The Metropolitan Police imposed conditions limiting where the demonstration outside the court could take place, saying they were needed to 'prevent serious disruption'. A man was detained by police outside the court building because of a placard he was holding following the hearing. The Met said the suspect remains in custody on suspicion of supporting proscribed terrorist group Palestine Action. Surrounded by officers, he told reporters his hand-made sign made no reference to any proscribed organisations. O hAnnaidh was swamped by photographers as he arrived, with security officers taking more than a minute to usher him into the court building. Supporters greeted the Kneecap rapper with cheers as he made his way from a silver people carrier to the building. Following the hearing, O'hAnnaidh told supporters the case was a 'distraction from the real story' and urged everyone to 'continue to speak about Palestine', adding: 'Free Palestine.' Fans held signs which read 'Free Mo Chara' while others waved Palestine and Irish flags before the rapper's arrival at court. Chants of 'Free, free, Mo Chara' could also be heard over a megaphone, which was repeated by the crowd. Mr O Caireallain and Mr O Dochartaigh sat at the back of the courtroom with three others as O hAnnaidh confirmed his name, date of birth and address to the court at the start of the hearing. In response to the Met imposing conditions on the protest, Kneecap described the move as a 'calculated political decision' that was 'designed to try and portray support for Kneecap as somehow troublesome'. The court previously heard the 27-year-old defendant is 'well within his rights' to voice his opinions on the Israel-Palestine conflict, but the alleged incident at the O2 Forum was a 'wholly different thing'. O hAnnaidh, of Belfast, is yet to enter a plea to the charge and is on unconditional bail.
The Independent
15 minutes ago
- The Independent
Tories trying to fuel hatred against asylum seekers, says former first minister
The former first minister of Scotland has accused the Conservative party of 'deliberately trying to fuel hatred' against asylum seekers. Yousaf said by presenting asylum seekers as a threat to women and children, politicians like Robert Jenrick were 'reviving the old colonial lie that people from the east are somehow dangerous savages'. Mr Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, has said he supports 'every peaceful protest outside an asylum hotel' and later attended one in Epping, where an asylum seeker was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. Demonstrations against asylum seekers staying in hotels have sprung up across the UK, including in Scotland, with those attending claiming they are making their communities less safe. Mr Jenrick, who previously ran for the Tory leadership, said small boat crossings in the English Channel amounted to a 'national security emergency', adding: 'The truth is that mass, uncontrolled immigration has been fuelling crime and made women and girls less safe. ' In a video posted to social media, Mr Yousaf hit back at the Tory claims, saying it was 'predatory men' who posed a danger to women, rather than people from any one group, such as asylum seekers. He said: 'As a father of three girls, let me tell you that it's not asylum seekers I'm worried about when it comes to my daughter's safety – it's men, predatory men, who come in every colour, every religion, are from every background. 'Of course, those who do commit heinous crimes against women, be they asylum seekers or those who have lived in the UK for 10 generations, they should and must feel the full force of the law. 'But when you purposely single out asylum seekers, as the Tories are doing, you're not interested in protecting women, you're deliberately trying to fuel hatred. 'You're reviving the old colonial lie that people from the east are somehow dangerous savages.' The former SNP leader said such rhetoric has turned 'fear into mobs who are ready to set fire to hotels housing asylum seekers', in reference to a riot in Rotherham last year in which a man who attempted to set fire to an asylum hotel. 'It leads to bricks through windows,' he added. 'It leads to fire bombs aimed at vulnerable families who've already fled war and persecution. 'And here's the truth, violence against women is committed by men from every walk of life. 'Blaming asylum seekers doesn't make women safer, it just makes society more divided, more suspicious, more willing to turn on the most vulnerable. 'What the Tories are doing isn't about women's safety, it's about stoking fear. It's the oldest populist trick in the book, let's make sure we don't fall.'
The Independent
15 minutes ago
- The Independent
Metropolitan Police's policy over live facial recognition ‘unlawful'
The Metropolitan Police's policy over live facial recognition (LFR) technology is 'unlawful' because it is 'incompatible' with human rights laws, the equalities watchdog has said. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has said the UK's biggest police force's rules and safeguards over using the tool 'fall short' and could have a 'chilling effect' on individuals' rights when used at protests. The concerns come as the Met is set to deploy LFR, which captures people's faces in real-time CCTV cameras, at this year's Notting Hill Carnival over the August bank holiday weekend. Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has already sought to reassure campaign groups that the technology will be used without bias. The EHRC has been given permission to intervene in an upcoming judicial review over LFR, brought by privacy campaigner Big Brother Watch director Silkie Carlo and anti-knife crime community worker Shaun Thompson. They are seeking the legal challenge claiming Mr Thompson was 'grossly mistreated' after LFR wrongly identified him as a criminal last year. EHRC chief executive John Kirkpatrick said the technology, when used responsibly, can help combat serious crime and keep people safe, but the biometric data being processed is 'deeply personal'. 'The law is clear: everyone has the right to privacy, to freedom of expression and to freedom of assembly. These rights are vital for any democratic society,' he said. 'As such, there must be clear rules which guarantee that live facial recognition technology is used only where necessary, proportionate and constrained by appropriate safeguards. 'We believe that the Metropolitan Police's current policy falls short of this standard. The Met, and other forces using this technology, need to ensure they deploy it in ways which are consistent with the law and with human rights.' The watchdog said it believes the Met's policy is 'unlawful' because it is 'incompatible' with Articles 8, right to privacy, 10, freedom of expression, and 11, freedom of assembly and association of the European Convention on Human Rights. Big Brother Watch interim director Rebecca Vincent said the involvement of EHRC in the judicial review was hugely welcome in the 'landmark legal challenge'. 'The rapid proliferation of invasive live facial recognition technology without any legislation governing its use is one of the most pressing human rights concerns in the UK today,' she said. 'Live facial recognition surveillance turns our faces into barcodes and makes us a nation of suspects who, as we've seen in Shaun's case, can be falsely accused, grossly mistreated and forced to prove our innocence to authorities.' 'Given this crucial ongoing legal action, the Home Office and police's investment in this dangerous and discriminatory technology is wholly inappropriate and must stop.' It comes as Home Secretary Yvette Cooper defended plans to expand LFR across the country to catch 'high-harm' offenders last week. Last month, the Metropolitan Police announced plans to expand its use of the technology across the capital. Police bosses said LFR will now be used up to 10 times per week across five days, up from the current four times per week across two days. The Metropolitan Police has been contacted for comment.
