Migration Update

Following the shocking revelation about Labour's secret plan to transform our culture through mass immigration (and "to rub the Right's nose in diversity"), we've taken a look at the latest migration statistics.

According to the ONS, a net 2.7m foreign migrants came here during Labour's first decade (1998-2007 inclusive). Which is getting on for 5% of the population.

Of those, just 270,000 comprised the famous influx of Polish plumbers and Czech waitresses following EU enlargement in 2004. A further 170,000 came from other members of the EU, so that the total EU influx totalled 440,000. In other words, well under 20% of the total immigration came from the EU - the people we've always been told we can't refuse.

The remaining 2.3m were split roughly 50/50 between those from the Commonwealth (1.2m) and elsewhere. Or at least, they split that way in the official statistics. But of course, the official stats take absolutely no account of the unknown number of migrants who've arrived illegally.

Meanwhile, British born citizens have left in droves: over the same ten years, a net 0.8m went. Which, in terms of cultural transformation, is a double whammy.

Now obviously Labour are going to deny that this was the reason they systematically encouraged mass immigration. But if not this, then what?

Sure, they used to tell us it would make us all richer. Until that is, we found out that it hasn't (eg see this blog).

And then they told us we couldn't stop it even if we wanted to, because we were in the EU. Until that is, it turned out the vast majority of migrants were coming from outside the EU, so EU membership was irrelevant.

And now we're told... well, I can't quite work out what we we're being told now, but I think we can safely assume it's self-serving nonsense.

Another issue Mr Cam needs to grip pdq.

PS See here for our full analysis of the immigration stats, although the cumulative inflow has increased by a further 400,000 since then.