The U.K.’s net migration has risen to its highest level for almost a decade, which is contrary to what Prime Minister David Cameron had pledged; cutting net annual migration to the tens of thousands, close to a national election.
Official data published on Thursday showed a net 298,000 people moved to Britain in the year to September 2014, a 40 percent rise from the previous 12 months and more than when the Conservative-led coalition government took power in 2010.
The figures mean Mr. Cameron and his center-right Conservative Party are almost certain to fall far short of their target of reducing net migration to the tens of thousands by May’s general elections, in part due to an influx of Europeans that his government is powerless to limit due to its membership in the EU.
As successive quarterly migration reports showed the numbers going up, rather than down, Ms May admitted last year that her party’s promise had been “blown off course”.
Earlier this week, Mr Cameron appeared to pre-empt the announcement, admitting that in retrospect he should have cut benefits and tax credits for immigrants more quickly to stop Britain being such a “massive draw”.
With Press