Commenting, Lord Green of Deddington, Chairman of Migration Watch UK, said:
“
This record rise in our population is very largely the result of massive levels of immigration which accounted for nearly two-thirds of the increase. We are now at a turning point. The Brexit negotiations must achieve a substantial reduction in EU migration. Failing that we will have to build the equivalent of a city the size of Birmingham every two years for the indefinite future. Any such outcome will be deeply opposed by the public, especially since nearly three-quarters of us believe that the country is already crowded.“
Note to editors:
See the full ONS release: Population Estimates for UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland: mid-2016