Welcome for Home Secretary's acceptance of Migrationwatch figures that net inward migration to Britain is now 180,000 a year+ illegal immigration

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September 18, 2002

Giving evidence to the Home Affairs Committee of the House of Commons on September 18, the Home Secretary accepted that 180,000 per )for non EU foreign immigration) should be taken as a basis. Mrs Blunkett said that this figure (180,000) is 'a reasonable estimate of the situation.' He had earlier remarked, 'I would not criticise those who indicate that the figure is larger than the 180,000 but what I would ask them to do is to be circumspect because their information and mine is subject to enormous error.'
Asked later whether it would not be sensible for the Home Office to make some estimated about undetected asylum seekers and over stayers, Mr Blunkett said 'I am happy to hear from people as to their commitment and input into that work, including Migrationwatch.'

He had said earlier that 'I do not believe there is any point in hiding information because it merely deludes ourselves when we need to find solutions to a very, very big problem.'

The full text of his exchange with Mr David Cameron MP can be found in questions numbered 40-45 in the evidence given to the Home Affairs Committee on September 18.

Note: The Office for National Statistics have since changed all the immigration figures to fit the census result which they regard an inviolate.
We are still assessing heir methodology.