How was it possible, given that the British people overwhelmingly want less immigration, and voted to leave the European Union partly for that reason, that the British government responded to having the freedom to set its own immigration policy, granted by Brexit, by relaxing controls so that net immigration tripled?
The figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) yesterday estimated net immigration in the year to June 2024 – the last year for which the Conservative government was responsible – to be 728,000.
Isn’t that higher than the previous figure?
Yes, the last figure published by the ONS was 685,000 for the year to December 2023 (these estimates are made every six months, so the annual figure is updated by half a year each time). Everyone was expecting the figure to fall, because, very late in the day, the Conservative government changed the rules to restrict immigration.
And immigration did fall, but it turns out that it had been running at a higher level than the ONS realised, so that 685,000 figure has now been revised up to 866,000. And the figure for the year to June 2023, to which the latest figure should be compared, has been revised from the previous estimate of 740,000 up to 906,000.
This story is from the November 29, 2024 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 29, 2024 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Old-school Dubois set on inheriting Taylor's throne
Caroline Dubois is unbeaten in 10 fights, has barely lost a round, she is the world champion, and nobody wants to fight her.
Forest canter past Wolves to continue unbeaten run
Nottingham Forest opened the door to a surprise Premier League title challenge after a sixth win in a row with a 3-0 victory at Wolves.
Life after Moyes a mess for incoherent Hammers side
As West Ham were defeated, they got a glimpse of what they have lost. David Moyes was at the Etihad Stadium, the scene of his last game as their manager. West Ham were beaten then, just as they were in Julen Lopetegui's latest match in charge.
Lessons learnt by United or just one more false dawn?
For large parts of his Manchester United career, Bruno Fernandes has appeared the answer. Now he posed the question.
From recession to rate cuts: 2025 economic predictions
I usually feel queasy when writing predictions for the year ahead.
London exchange exodus is a sign of US dominance
Last year saw the biggest outflow of companies from the London Stock Exchange since the global financial crisis. According to accountants EY, 88 companies, including Paddy Power owner Flutter, travel group Tui and Just Eat, abandoned the London market for US and European exchanges.
New blow as retailers warn of price hikes and job cuts
Keir Starmer faces a fresh Budget headache as retailers warn of higher prices and job cuts following disappointing sales in the crucial Christmas \"golden quarter\".
TALKING TRASH
From KKK brawls to the infamous man who married a horse’ episode, a new Netflix documentary delves into the story of The Jerry Springer Show’. Louis Chilton finds out more
Why the latest social media vogue is a fridge too far
Thought wall-to-wall beige and displaying books the wrong way round was bad? They’ve got nothing on fridgescaping’, the most unhinged Instagram trend yet, writes Helen Coffey
Drill, baby, drill': Big Oil is coming after electric vehicles
Have you ever gone back over your new year's resolutions from years ago and just thought, \"What was I thinking?\" Over the last year, it seems that Europe's biggest oil corporations did just that.
