POPULATION BOOM: Parts of London see 85% of children born to foreign parent

A RECORD number of babies born have at least one foreign-born parent as immigration fuels a population explosion, according to recent figures.

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The ONS predicted the UK’s population could swell to nearly 80 million within 20 year

The UK Statistics Authority revealed one in three children born in the UK last year had at least one parent from overseas, a figure which has been steadily increasing over the years. 

The total children whose mother or father, or both, were born abroad in England and Wales was 33 per cent last year, which has risen by more than a third when compared to 2000, when it stood at just 21 per cent.

And it has been steadily creeping up, rising from 31.4 per cent in 2013. 

In total, four London boroughs saw more than eight out of 10 children born to families where at least one parent was themselves born abroad. 

In Newham, some 86.4 per cent of children - 5,378 - had both or one parent who was born abroad in 2015. 

Brent had a figure of 4,408 babies, equating to 84.7 percent, Westminster came third with 83.5 per cent, or 2,261, and Kensington and Chelsea had a rate of 83.2 per cent, which works out to 1,502 newborns.

The average for the capital was 69 per cent, with the total number of newborns with at least one parent from overseas standing at 89,444 last year. 

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In some London boroughs 8 out of 10 children have one foreign-born parent

Immigration is changing the face of our country

Philip Hollobone

And the Government was dealt a further blow today when the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed net migration into the UK was at record levels. 

The year to June saw 335,000 migrants had come into the country, just below its peak of 336,000 the previous year. 

The numbers shatter former Prime Minister David Cameron’s pledge to reduce net migration to the ‘tens of thousands’. 

Tory MP, Philip Hollobone, blasted the changing demographic of the UK. 

He said: “Immigration is changing the face of our country.

“Immigrants have more children than indigenous people that the make-up of the country is changing in front of our eyes.

“We have to get control over immigration and Brexit is the best way to achieve that.”

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It is thought immigrants from eastern Europe are behind the rise

The ONS predicted the UK’s population could swell to nearly 80 million within 20 years - a rise of 20 per cent - partly due to rampant immigration. 

Over the past two decades the population of foreign-born residents has surged from 3.8 million to 8.3 million. 

And since 2000, Migration Watch claims that immigrants and births to foreign-born parents is responsible for 85 per cent of population growth. 

Alp Mehmet, vice chair of Migration Watch, said: “These figures make clear yet again, that rapid population growth continues to be driven by immigration.

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The year to June saw 335,000 migrants had come into the country

“Over the next few years immigration will move increasingly towards being the sole reason for the capital’s burgeoning population, which has serious implications for public services such as maternity and GP practices, as well as primary school places in due course.

“This why bringing net migration down to manageable levels is like vitally important.”

It is thought immigrants from eastern Europe are behind the rise as countless foreign nationals rush to Britain to secure jobs before Brexit. 

Nicola White, head of international migration statistics at the ONS, said: "Immigration of Bulgarian and Romanian citizens continues the upward trend seen over the last few years and in 2015 Romania was the most common country of previous residence.

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"The main reason people are coming to the UK is for work, and there has been a significant increase in people looking for work, particularly from the EU.”

The ONS added it was too early to determine what effect, if any, Brexit has had on long-term immigration.

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