Latest news with #CentreForMigrationControl
The Guardian
a day ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Disputed or debunked claims about migration and crime in the UK
Several politicians have got into hot water for promoting and repeating misleading data in recent months, particularly about migration and crime. There have been calls for the government and police forces to be more transparent about the figures to tackle misinformation and hysteria. Here are some of the high-profile claims that have been disputed or debunked. Conservative Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, said on Radio 4's Today programme on Monday that 40% of sexual crimes in London last year were committed by foreign nationals. The claim was sourced from the Centre for Migration Control (CMC), a thinktank and blog that describes its purpose as 'controlling and reducing migration to Britain'. It is run by the Reform UK activist Robert Bates. CMC's claims come from the Metropolitan police's response to a freedom of information request. The Met issued a breakdown of the number of people who had been proceeded against – ie brought before a court – for sexual offences by nationality. This does not mean they have been found guilty of committing the offence as Jenrick said. For example, there were 14,242 defendants brought to court for sexual offences at magistrates courts in England and Wales in 2024, but 8,098 convictions, according to Ministry of Justice statistics. 'Some of the data we're seeing is very striking,' Jenrick also said. 'Afghans and Eritrean nationals are 20 times more likely to be convicted of a sexual crime than a British national.' The statistic about Afghans has been repeated by Reform UK's chair, Zia Yusuf. This is a muddled figure that also came from the CMC, after it submitted freedom of information requests to the MoJ. It is based on population statistics from 2021 but data on offences covering the years between 2021 and 2023. That means the statistic is likely to be based on a significant underestimate of the number of Afghan and Eritrean nationals in the UK – meaning the comparison with British rates is unlikely to be 20 times as high. Immigration to the UK from Afghanistan has risen significantly since 2021 because of the Taliban's return to power, while Eritrean migration has also risen due to wars in Eritrea, Sudan and Ethiopia. The Guardian contacted Jenrick for comment. Nick Timothy, the Conservative MP for West Suffolk, deleted a post on X this week that accused the Metropolitan police of 'facilitating illegal working'. He had shared a photo that appeared to show police officers escorting a Deliveroo driver through a crowd of protesters outside a hotel. The original post claimed to depict how 'an illegal Deliveroo worker is literally getting a full police escort'. The Met replied that 'this person was delivering to the hotel, they were not being accommodated there. There is no evidence to suggest they were working illegally. They were surrounded and intimidated by those gathered outside and officers intervened to make sure they got away safely.' The context is that companies including Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats have committed to tighten security checks after reports some asylum seekers were working illegally as couriers. Earlier this year, there was a controversy over a Telegraph front page report that said as many as one in 12 people living in London were illegal immigrants. The story included quotes from Chris Philp, the Conservative shadow home secretary, who called the figures 'deeply alarming' and said it was 'totally unacceptable to have these numbers of illegal immigrants in the UK'. The Telegraph and several other newspapers had to issue corrections for misrepresenting the findings in several ways. The one in 12 statistic was based on an unpublished study commissioned by Thames Water to measure the demand for water supply. The study concluded that there could be between 390,355 and 585,533 irregular – not illegal – migrants in and around London. The Telegraph used the higher figure and divided it by the 7 million population living in specific 'water resource zones', rather than the 9 million population of London. Most importantly, the Thames Water study was seeking to estimate the number of people who use water that are not in official statistics so included not just migrants but those with second homes, visitors and tourists. It also included people given indefinite leave to remain, as well as some British-born children of migrants with irregular status. The most recent official estimates for the number of irregular migrants in the UK date from 2017. The Pew Research Center said the number was between 800,000 to 1.2 million, while the Greater London Authority's central estimate for the whole of the UK was 674,000 – going up to 809,000 when including UK-born children of unauthorised migrants. At a press conference on Monday, Nigel Farage told TV crews that he would discuss an open criminal investigation – the alleged rape of a child. But he said there would be nothing in the press conference that would go against contempt of court laws. Two men have been charged in connection with the alleged crime. When an alleged perpetrator has been charged, there are strict rules about what can be reported, to prevent prejudicing and potentially collapsing a trial. However, the leader of Warwickshire county council, George Finch, later made a number of references, including referring to the men as 'criminals' when they have not been found guilty. Farage then defended Finch when questioned as to whether he had broken contempt laws, saying it was 'good' that he had become 'slightly emotional'. The issue of naming the race of alleged perpetrators has been in the public eye since a baseless social media conspiracy theory surrounding Axel Rudakubana, the Southport murderer. After he killed three young children in July 2024, it was purported on social media that authorities were covering up his true place of birth. Rudakubana, who was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents, was falsely portrayed in a variety of social media posts as being a Muslim asylum seeker.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
New map shows how immigration is reshaping your town
Up to one in 20 residents in parts of England and Wales are immigrants who moved here last year, new analysis suggests. It comes after Government statistics last week revealed that the total population of the two nations shot up by 700,000 in 2023/24. Immigration fuelled the surge – the second largest since WW2. The Daily Mail can reveal that net international migration – defined as the difference between the number of people entering the country and leaving – was positive in all but one of 318 councils. Newham, home to roughly 374,000 people, saw an influx of 17,200 immigrants in the year to mid-2024. That suggests new migrants arriving from abroad in the last year now account for 4.6 per cent of the London borough's total population – roughly one in 20 people. Luton (4.3 per cent) and Coventry (4.2 per cent) had similarly high figures, according to estimates published by the Office for National Statistics ( ONS ). Experts say current immigration levels, which have hit all-time highs, are piling even greater pressure upon on housing, schools and the NHS. Our postcode search tool - available to use below - shows how the situation in your area has changed over the last 12 months, tracking births and deaths as well as net international migration. Robert Bates, research director at the Centre for Migration Control, said mass migration is 'changing the very fabric of Britain'. He said: 'Assimilation has been made impossible by the sheer scale of mass migration and our national culture is damaged as a result. Stretched public services - from the NHS and GP surgeries to public transport and schools - are being further eroded by a low wage, low-skill immigration system. Politicians have ignored the concerns of voters due to a misguided belief that open borders benefit the economy. We fast need a government which rejects this dogma and starts work to scrap a whole raft of failed visa routes, end foreign nationals' access to the welfare system, and invests in skills for the British workforce.' There were an estimated 61.8m people in England and Wales in mid-2024, up from 61.1m in mid-2023, according to the ONS' estimates. That increase, of 706,881 people, was eclipsed only by the 821,210 population rise in the 12 months to mid-2023, with growth in both years driven almost wholly by record rises in the number of migrants. Some 1.1m people are thought to have immigrated in the last 12 months, countered by the 450,000 believed to have emigrated. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage yesterday claimed the figures were' disastrous for the quality of life for everyone in the country'. There were slightly more births (596,012) than deaths (566,030) in the year to mid-2024, which added just 29,982 to the population. In terms of raw numbers, the biggest local authorities, such as Birmingham (38,700) had the most international migrants arriving. Given the West Midlands city has a population of 1.2million, however, the effects of international migration aren't as stark as they are in Newham. The City of London technically had the highest share of its current population down to international migration in 2024 (10.8 per cent) – although it is home to only 15,000 people. Only one local authority, South Holland in Lincolnshire, experienced a negative sum, due to more international migrants leaving than arriving. The ONS said it had 557 arrivals from abroad last year, but 695 people emigrated. Movement around the UK – known as internal migration – is recorded separately. Alp Mehmet, chairman of Migration Watch UK, said: 'The latest ONS figures are another eye-opener. 'While there is no breakdown of migration into nationality, gender, age or immigration status - as the ONS should do in the future - overall, the population of England and Wales increased by over 700,000 (the equivalent of Newcastle.) Just 30,000 of this was from births exceeding deaths.' Mr Mehmet also branded the government's response to the rising rates as 'complacent'. He said: 'Most worrying, these latest figures show that the speed with which the nature of our society is changing has not let up, and that the ethnic minority proportion of our population will become the majority in 30-35 years. The government must take decisive action to stem the immigration tsunami if we are not to become the island of strangers the Prime Minister referred to a few months ago.' The ONS cautions there might be some overlap in the data, although it is unclear by how much because of the difficulties in examining population flow. For example, the same person could be classed as both an international immigrant and internal emigrant. They could also die, further confusing the picture. Tory shadow Home Office minister Katie Lam said the data showed the population is rising at 'an unsustainable pace'. She said: 'This isn't about numbers on a spreadsheet, it's about pressure on housing, NHS waiting lists, school places, wages and it's about community and our culture. Britain simply cannot plan or build fast enough to keep up. We must secure our borders and deliver a fair and sustainable immigration system that works for the British people.' However Home Secretary Yvette Cooper (pictured) said yesterday the figures 'confirm the truth of the Tory legacy on immigration'. She added: 'Their failed open borders experiment resulted in net migration quadrupling to a peak of almost a million per year in 2023 even as they promised it would fall. Since the election, net migration has come steeply down, and as part of the Government's Plan for Change we have set out new measures in the Immigration White Paper and have already changed immigration rules to bring net migration down further. To be successful, effective and fair, our immigration system must be properly controlled and managed. Out of the chaos and failure of the Tory past, that is what this Government will deliver.' Keir Starmer unveiled a crackdown on immigration in May, warning that failure to control the system risked turning Britain into an 'island of strangers'. Downing Street was forced to deny angry comparisons from MPs that it was an echo of Enoch Powell's infamous 'Rivers of Blood' speech. Scrambling to blunt the threat of Reform, Sir Keir has vowed to give voters what they had 'asked for time and time again' as he announced a package to 'take back control of our borders'. However, the month after the speech Sir Keir went on to say he 'deeply regretted' it, despite polling showing most Brits had no problem with the language used. His package of long-awaited policies to curb immigration involved a hiking of the skills threshold for immigrants and a toughening of the rules on fluency in English. Migrants will also be required to wait 10 years for citizenship rather than the current five and face deportation for even lower-level crimes. Policymakers estimate the Government's package will bring down annual inflows by around 100,000.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Britain's new immigration hotspots mapped: Up to one in 20 residents in some boroughs are migrants who came here last year - so what is the figure in YOUR area?
Up to one in 20 residents in parts of England and Wales are immigrants who moved here last year, new analysis suggests. It comes after Government statistics last week revealed that the total population of the two nations shot up by 700,000 in 2023/24. Immigration fuelled the surge – the second largest since WW2. The Daily Mail can reveal that net international migration – defined as the difference between the number of people entering the country and leaving – was positive in all but one of 318 councils. Newham, home to roughly 374,000 people, saw an influx of 17,200 immigrants in the year to mid-2024. That suggests new migrants arriving from abroad in the last year now account for 4.6 per cent of the London borough's total population – roughly one in 20 people. Luton (4.3 per cent) and Coventry (4.2 per cent) had similarly high figures, according to estimates published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Experts say current immigration levels, which have hit all-time highs, are piling even greater pressure upon on housing, schools and the NHS. Our postcode search tool - available to use below - shows how the situation in your area has changed over the last 12 months, tracking births and deaths as well as net international migration. Robert Bates, research director at the Centre for Migration Control, said mass migration is 'changing the very fabric of Britain'. He said: 'Assimilation has been made impossible by the sheer scale of mass migration and our national culture is damaged as a result. 'Stretched public services - from the NHS and GP surgeries to public transport and schools - are being further eroded by a low wage, low-skill immigration system. 'Politicians have ignored the concerns of voters due to a misguided belief that open borders benefit the economy. 'We fast need a government which rejects this dogma and starts work to scrap a whole raft of failed visa routes, end foreign nationals' access to the welfare system, and invests in skills for the British workforce.' There were an estimated 61.8m people in England and Wales in mid-2024, up from 61.1m in mid-2023, according to the ONS' estimates. That increase, of 706,881 people, was eclipsed only by the 821,210 population rise in the 12 months to mid-2023, with growth in both years driven almost wholly by record rises in the number of migrants. Some 1.1m people are thought to have immigrated in the last 12 months, countered by the 450,000 believed to have emigrated. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage yesterday claimed the figures were' disastrous for the quality of life for everyone in the country'. There were slightly more births (596,012) than deaths (566,030) in the year to mid-2024, which added just 29,982 to the population. In terms of raw numbers, the biggest local authorities, such as Birmingham (38,700) had the most international migrants arriving. Given the West Midlands city has a population of 1.2million, however, the effects of international migration aren't as stark as they are in Newham. The City of London technically had the highest share of its current population down to international migration in 2024 (10.8 per cent) – although it is home to only 15,000 people. Only one local authority, South Holland in Lincolnshire, experienced a negative sum, due to more international migrants leaving than arriving. The ONS said it had 557 arrivals from abroad last year, but 695 people emigrated. Movement around the UK – known as internal migration – is recorded separately. Alp Mehmet, chairman of Migration Watch UK, said: 'The latest ONS figures are another eye-opener. 'While there is no breakdown of migration into nationality, sex, age or immigration status - as the ONS should do in the future - overall, the population of England and Wales increased by over 700,000 (the equivalent of Newcastle.) 'Just 30,000 of this was from births exceeding deaths.' Mr Mehmet also branded the government's response to the rising rates as 'complacent'. He said: 'Most worrying, these latest figures show that the speed with which the nature of our society is changing has not let up, and that the ethnic minority proportion of our population will become the majority in 30-35 years. 'The government must take decisive action to stem the immigration tsunami if we are not to become the island of strangers the Prime Minister referred to a few months ago.' The ONS cautions there might be some overlap in the data, although it is unclear by how much because of the difficulties in examining population flow. For example, the same person could be classed as both an international immigrant and internal emigrant. They could also die, further confusing the picture. Tory shadow Home Office minister Katie Lam said the data showed the population is rising at 'an unsustainable pace'. She said: 'This isn't about numbers on a spreadsheet, it's about pressure on housing, NHS waiting lists, school places, wages and it's about community and our culture. 'Britain simply cannot plan or build fast enough to keep up. 'We must secure our borders and deliver a fair and sustainable immigration system that works for the British people.' However Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said yesterday the figures 'confirm the truth of the Tory legacy on immigration'. She added: 'Their failed open borders experiment resulted in net migration quadrupling to a peak of almost a million per year in 2023 even as they promised it would fall. 'Since the election, net migration has come steeply down, and as part of the Government's Plan for Change we have set out new measures in the Immigration White Paper and have already changed immigration rules to bring net migration down further. 'To be successful, effective and fair, our immigration system must be properly controlled and managed. Out of the chaos and failure of the Tory past, that is what this Government will deliver.' Keir Starmer unveiled a crackdown on immigration in May, warning that failure to control the system risked turning Britain into an 'island of strangers'. Downing Street was forced to deny angry comparisons from MPs that it was an echo of Enoch Powell's infamous 'Rivers of Blood' speech. Scrambling to blunt the threat of Reform, Sir Keir has vowed to give voters what they had 'asked for time and time again' as he announced a package to 'take back control of our borders'. However, the month after the speech Sir Keir went on to say he 'deeply regretted' it, despite polling showing most Brits had no problem with the language used. His package of long-awaited policies to curb immigration involved a hiking of the skills threshold for immigrants and a toughening of the rules on fluency in English. Migrants will also be required to wait 10 years for citizenship rather than the current five and face deportation for even lower-level crimes. Policymakers estimate the Government's package will bring down annual inflows by around 100,000. It comes after Sir Keir signed a deal with French president Emmanuel Macron in a desperate attempt to solve the small boat Channel crisis. The Prime Minister and his French equivalent announced a 'one in, one out' migrant swap deal, although it was far less ambitious than expected.
The Sun
28-07-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Four in ten people charged over heinous sex attacks in London are foreign nationals, shocking police stats show
NEARLY four in ten people charged over sex attacks in London in the last seven years are foreign nationals, police figures show. Police figures show these migrants were behind 2,809 of the 7,798 alleged crimes recorded in the capital since 2018 - despite making up less than a quarter of the city's population. 1 The number of annual sexual offence charges recorded in London has almost doubled in that period. Romanians were behind 308 sexual offence charges to be the highest non-British cohort in terms of raw numbers. But the 89 charges of Afghans makes them the most frequent offenders as a share of their population - estimated to be up to 12,000. The Centre for Migration Control obtained a breakdown from the Met on the nationalities of people who have had charges brought for sexual offences since 2018. Of the 7,798 offences, 4,631 were from British nationals, 2,809 from non-Brits, and 358 with unknown nationalities. If unknowns are counted as foreign nationals, it means non-Brits carried out 40.6 per cent of the crimes. If they are excluded, the figure is still 37.8 per cent. Robert Bates, Research Director at the Centre for Migration Control said: 'Our capital city is stuck in the depths of lawless decay. The spike in sexual offences against women and girls is directly attributable to our open borders. 'Any foreign national found guilty of these crimes must be deported without question and those nationalities overrepresented in crime statistics must face visa restrictions. 'It is time to be unashamedly robust in protecting British decency and making sure our streets are safe.' A Home Office spokesperson said: 'Those who commit sex crimes are despicable, causing the most unimaginable harm to victims and survivors. 'It is this government's mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. 'We continue to deport foreign nationals who commit heinous crimes in the UK are not left free on our streets. 'Since the election, over 35,000 people have been returned from the UK, including a 14 per cent increase in the number of foreign national offenders.'
The Sun
15-07-2025
- Business
- The Sun
More than 1 MILLION migrants are claiming Universal Credit in Britain
MORE than one million migrants are claiming benefits in Britain, new figures have revealed. The number of foreign nationals on Universal Credit has surged from 883,470 in 2022 to 1.26million last month. 1 The DWP stats - released for the first time - was this morning branded an 'unsustainable situation' by campaigners. Most of the migrants getting taxpayer handouts are EU nationals, comprising 770,379 of the claims. Non EU nationals with indefinite leave make up 211,090 of the claims, followed by 118,749 refugees, 54,156 on humanitarian visas, 75,267 on time-limited visas, and 33,240 'others'. Some 737,799 of the migrants are unemployed, while 510,970 are in some kind of work, according to the figures. The number of Brits on Universal Credit last month was 6.6million, including 4.3million who do not have jobs. Today's stats will spark more anger among taxpayers bracing for more squeezes at the Autumn Budget. Rob Bates from the Centre for Migration Control said: 'Over one million migrants are claiming benefits in Britain. 'An unsustainable situation which lays bare the very real consequences that mass migration has inflicted on the British public. 'Indefinite Leave to Remain must be scrapped if we are to have any hope of turning the tide.'
