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News Articles for November 2011
November 28, 2011
Think-Tank had Immigration Figures Spot on Almost 10 Years Ago
November 23, 2011
ONS Data Confirms UK Population to Hit 80 Million by 2056
November 23, 2011
Government Decision to Extend Transitional Controls for Romanian and Bulgarian Workers
November 21, 2011
Government Housing Proposals
November 18, 2011
93% of immigrants come to England – the sixth most crowded country in the world
November 7, 2011
Immigration Petition Reaches 100,000 Signatures in Just One Week
November 7, 2011
Migration Watch UK Comment on YouGov Poll
November 4, 2011
Migration Watch UK Comment on Migration Advisory Committee Reports issued this morning
November 3, 2011
250,000 More Homes Needed for Immigrants
November 1, 2011
Petition Demand for Public’s Voice to be Heard on Immigration
Full Text of Press Release : November 2011
Think-Tank had Immigration Figures Spot on Almost 10 Years Ago
Figures just out show that the number of migrants coming to Britain in the decade ending next year was correctly predicted by think tank Migration Watch – almost 10 years ago.
In 2002 the then newly launched organisation warned that "on current trends we can now expect a net inflow to Britain of at least two million non-EU citizens per decade". The prediction made clear that this included an estimate of 60,000 per year for illegal immigrants of various kinds.
The latest figures (Annex A) show just how telling that prediction was with a total of net non-EU immigration between mid year 2002/03 and mid year 2009/10 of 1.679 million - or over 200,000 a year - and this is without an allowance for illegal immigration.
Said Sir Andrew Green, Migration Watch UK chairman: ‘The latest official statistics demonstrate very clearly that, in addition to just over half a million immigrants from the EU, net non-EU immigration is absolutely on course to hit two million in 10 years as we predicted in August 2002.
‘At the time our projections were met with howls of derision - and often abuse – by the immigration ‘industry,’ particularly in the left wing press,’ he said. ‘They tried very hard to denigrate our research and rubbish our findings with accusations that were thinly disguised but clearly meant to imply a racist agenda,’ he said.
‘In fact our figures and predictions have been consistently accurate since our formation, however much they have tried to pretend otherwise.’
An example of the opprobrium heaped upon Migration Watch was this editorial in the Independent on August 6, 2002: "Most offensive of all is the choice of name, a grotesque echo of such groups as Human Rights Watch, with the implication that it is keeping a watch on Ministers who sneakily disguise the true extent of immigration. Migrationwatch UK is a nasty little outfit, and its duplicitous research should be treated with the gravest suspicion. The group deserves to fail; sadly in the current climate, it will continue to be given the oxygen of publicity".
An article in the Guardian of 7 August 2002 was entitled "A swamp of muddled thinking". It described the figure of two million as flawed, both in its composition and its assumptions.
It gives us no pleasure to see that we were right as we have indeed seen the largest wave of immigration in our history, with no public consultation, explanation or coherent justification,’ he said. ‘It is now abundantly clear that the public do not share the enthusiasm for the mass immigration that has changed parts of the UK beyond recognition and has, in many cases, weakened community cohesion.
Said Sir Andrew: ‘It is shameful that the political system was intimidated for so long by false innuendo from the Left about racism. As a result, three million immigrants were admitted by the previous government between 1997 and 2010 while one million British citizens left the UK. All this took place without proper debate and in flat contradiction to the wishes of the British people. Nowadays the public are clear that enough is enough and they can, at last, express their view by signing our “No to 70 million” petition on the Downing Street website.
Annex A - Think-Tank had Immigration Figures Spot on Almost 10 Years Ago
Long Term International Migration, by Citizenship (Half years), Table 2.01b.
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/...?edition=tcm%3A77-235198
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ONS Data Confirms UK Population to Hit 80 Million by 2056
Sir Andrew Green, Chairman of Migration Watch UK, said:
“ONS data todays confirms the shocking fact that the UK population is projected to hit 80 million by 2056, overtaking Germany in the process – despite having far less space – to become the most populous nation in the EU. We must get net migration down to below 40,000 to stabilise our population below 70 million. Anyone who suggests that net migration of 150,000 will do has simply not looked at the facts.”
The attached paper Briefing Paper No 9.31 demonstrates the population projections based on differing net migration figures.
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Government Decision to Extend Transitional Controls for Romanian and Bulgarian Workers
Commenting, Sir Andrew Green, Chairman of Migration Watch UK, said:
“This is absolutely the right decision. With 2.5 million people unemployed, it would be absurd to open our borders yet again to more unskilled workers. “
Notes to Editors:
In 2006, the population of Romanian and Bulgarians nationals was just under 30,000. In the year ending December 2010, this figure had risen to over 130,000
.ONS Population by Country of Birth:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/...edition=tcm%3A77-219297
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/...edition=tcm%3A77-222711
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Government Housing Proposals
Commenting on the housing proposals unveiled by the government, Sir Andrew Green said:
"An astonishing aspect of the housing debate is the deafening silence on the impact of immigration. The extra 16,000 houses promised by the government today will meet less than a quarter of the annual demand from new immigrant households. One good way to tackle the housing crisis would be to reduce immigration to a sensible level."
Note to Editors:
2008 based Household Projections (p.8) - http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/pdf/1780763.pdf
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93% of immigrants come to England – the sixth most crowded country in the world
93% of immigrants to the UK live in England. That is the conclusion of research by Migration Watch UK. Of the 7.1 million foreign born people living in the UK, 6.6 million live in England. As for the latest projections for population growth, 86% is expected to occur in England.
Commenting, Sir Andrew Green, Chairman of Migration Watch UK said:
“The immigration lobby like to talk about the UK, obscuring the fact that England is six times as crowded as Scotland. Since the vast majority of immigrants come to England, it is England’s place in the league table that counts. Leaving aside city states and small islands, England lies sixth among the most crowded countries in the world. As people sit in traffic jams or squeeze onto their morning trains it will be clearly ridiculous to claim that their eyes are deceiving them and there is not a problem simply because places like the Maldives or Mayotte have higher population densities than England”.
Link to E-Petition: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/19658
Link to Migration Watch UK Website: http://migrationwatchuk.org
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Immigration Petition Reaches 100,000 Signatures in Just One Week
The e-petition to the Government calling for the population of the UK to be stabilised at below 70 million has achieved 100,000 signatures in just seven days – one of the fastest to achieve this goal since the initiative was launched. The petition reached 100,000 at 19.30.
The petition, launched by think tank Migration Watch UK, calls upon the Government to prevent the population rising to this figure in the next 20 years – which would mean adding the equivalent of seven cities the size of Birmingham to the population. This would require a sharp reduction in net immigration to about 40,000 in the next five years or so.
A YouGov poll over the week-end showed that almost 80% of the population already thought that England was overcrowded.
Said Sir Andrew Green, Migration Watch chairman, "‘At last the British people have been able to express their deep opposition to mass immigration. This petition is a wake up call for the political class who have condescended to the public for too long. To leap over the 100,000 hurdle in just one week is truly remarkable. I hope that the public will continue to sign up so as to send an unmistakeable call for action."
"The House of Commons is not obliged to debate the petition but it would be amazing if they tried to brush aside such a powerful expression of public opinion on an issue crucial to the future of our society. We hope the public will continue to sign up and add to the numbers so that Parliament can be left in no doubt about the deep well of public concern that exists around this subject," he said.
Sir Andrew said there had long been strong public feeling on this issue but this has been the first opportunity to express it directly.
"Furthermore it has been achieved in the face of total silence from BBC Radio who, as usual have been determined to duck the case against mass immigration," he said.
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Migration Watch UK Comment on YouGov Poll
A new YouGov poll out today has found that 79% of adults in England consider England to be crowded; with 37% saying it is ‘very crowded.’
Only 3% believe that it is not crowded, whilst 15% think that England is about right. The figures were higher for London (85%) and the rest of the South (81%) while the rest of England and Wales were at about 76%.
The poll, for think tank Migration Watch UK, coincides with their e-petition launched on November 1 which calls on the Government to take all necessary measures to keep the UK population under 70 million.
The poll asked voters about the latest population forecasts, which expect the population of the UK to reach 70 million in sixteen years, 76% were concerned about this prospect (37% very concerned) while only 20% were not concerned; 4% did not know.
There was a difference according to voting intention with Conservatives at 86%, Liberal Democrats at 77% and Labour at 72%. The over 60s also showed greater concern at 86% while in Scotland only 62% were concerned.
The poll also asked about support for reducing net immigration to 40,000 a year in future years – the level required to keep the population below 70 million. 69% supported such a level (44% strongly), only 12% were opposed (4% strongly); 10% had no view and 9% didn’t know. Those intending to vote Conservative felt most strongly (83%) but both Lib Dem and Labour voters showed just over 60% support with 18% - 20% opposed.
Commenting, Sir Andrew Green, Chairman of Migration Watch UK, said:
‘This poll explains the huge public support for our e-petition and demonstrates quite clearly that most people think England is already overcrowded,’ said Sir Andrew Green, Migrationwatch chairman. ‘By more than 25 to 1 English people consider England to be already crowded. By more than 5 to 1 they support getting net immigration down to 40,000 a year. Only 3% want net immigration higher than the most recent level of 240,000.’
‘The position of Lib Dem voters is particularly interesting with 75% believing that England is already crowded, 77% concerned about a UK population of 70 million and 61% in favour of getting net immigration down to 40,000 compared to 20% who oppose this policy’.
ENDS
Note to editors:
- The Yougov field work was conducted on 3-4 November 2011 with a sample size of 1561 GB adults (see attached spreadsheet for results). The survey was carried out on line and was weighted to reflect all GB adults. Only English adults answered the question as to whether England is crowded.
- The Migrationwatch petition ‘No to 70 million has received some 90,000 signatures by noon on Sunday. It can be found at: https://submissions.epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/19658
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Migration Watch UK Comment on Migration Advisory Committee Reports issued this morning
In relation to the MAC’s Review of the transitional restrictions on access of Bulgarian and Romanian nationals to the UK labour market, Sir Andrew Green said:
“The MAC have got this absolutely right. It would be intolerable to have another inflow of East Europeans when unemployment is running at 2.5 million.”
Commenting on the MAC report on Settlement rights of migrants in Tier 1 and Tier 2, Sir Andrew Green said:
“This is a critical step in the right direction. Salary must be the key. Breaking the almost automatic link is vital if net migration is to be reduced to a level which will keep the UK population below 70 million, as demanded by our e-petition”
Migration Watch UK E-Petition: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/19658
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250,000 More Homes Needed for Immigrants
The higher population projections published by the ONS last week have implications for the number of new homes required to house future immigrants to Britain.
The government’s projections of future households are calculated largely on the basis of the population projections. The most recent set were published in November 2010 (based on the 2008 based population projections) and are an important part of the evidence base for assessing future housing demand.
The 2008 household projections showed a 27% increase between 2008 and 2033 with an average annual increase of 232,000 households. However, if there had been no net migration the increase would have been only 149,000 a year – so about 83,000 households a year, on average, were expected to result from net migration; that is about 2,075,000 over the period.
The details of international migration to England are not yet available but an estimate based on the difference between net migration into the UK in the 2010 projection compared with the 2008 projection gives a difference between the two of 569,000 over the next 25 years. This implies that net migration into the UK is now assumed to be some 12.5% higher than in the previous population projections. Multiplying this into the additional household numbers (2,081,000), which are projected solely as a result of migration, in the 2010 household projections, gives an additional 260,000 homes required over the 25 years to 2034/5.
Commenting, Sir Andrew Green, Chairman of Migration Watch UK said “This is a further indication of the extent of pressure on housing that stems from the present massive levels of immigration. It can only add to the pressures on our countryside and especially the green belt.”
Notes to Editors:
- The 2010 Household Projections are at: http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/.../1780763.pdf
- The latest population projections are at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_235886.pdf
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Petition Demand for Public’s Voice to be Heard on Immigration
Migration Watch UK have today launched an e-petition calling on the government to stabilise the population of the UK and, certainly, to keep it well below 70 million.
The new official population projections issued last week show our population hitting 70 million in 16 years. This is on the assumption that net immigration will continue at 200,000 a year compared to almost 240,000 last year. The UK population was last estimated in 2010 at 62.3 million.
This population increase of more than 7 million is the equivalent of building seven cities the size of Birmingham or fourteen the size of Manchester or Bristol and about two thirds of it (just over 5 million) will be due to future immigration. Immigration will have to be sharply reduced to about 40,000 a year to stabilise our population.
Commenting, Sir Andrew Green, Chairman of Migration Watch UK, said ‘Labour permitted foreign immigration of over three million in the face of strongly opposed public opinion. Politicians need reminding that this is an issue that is consistently one of the top concerns of voters and that it must be addressed, and soon. It is time to stop listening to those who support and, often, make money from the immigration ‘industry’ and consider the views of the people most directly affected. This, at last, is an opportunity for the man in the street to make his views heard where it counts.’
Notes to Editors:
1 The terms of the e-petition are:
"Over the past ten years the government has permitted mass immigration despite very strong public opposition reflected in numerous opinion polls. We express our deep concern that, according to official figures, the population of the UK is now expected to reach 70 million within 20 years with two thirds of the increase due to immigration. While we recognise the benefits that properly controlled immigration could bring to our economy and society, this population increase, which is the equivalent of building seven cities the size of Birmingham, will have a huge impact both on our quality of life and on our public services yet the public has never been consulted. So we call on the government to take all necessary steps to get immigration down to a level that will stabilise our population as close to the present level as possible and, certainly, well below 70 million."
2 100,000 signatures are required for the e-petition to be sent to the Back Bench Committee to be considered for a debate in Parliament.
3 The e-petition can be found at: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/19658
4 The 2010-based Population Projections can be found at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_235886.pdf
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