Net migration figures present collision between facts and feelings for Sunak Analysis Net migration figures have hit record highs – to the surprise of precisely no one. Expectation management is a vital piece of the political toolkit. That much-touted 1,000-seat loss in the local election results was brought out in advance as an over-the-top figure designed to give the electorate a happy surprise – but, to the [...]
Net migration to UK hits record high of 606,000 as Brexit scales EU movement back Sunak under pressure Net migration to the UK has hit a record high of 606,000, new figures released this morning reveal. The significant surge in legal migration for 2022 has hit the highest level on record, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS) data. It follows weeks of speculation over the numbers with prime minister Rishi Sunak seeking [...]
Plans to house asylum seekers in military bases and barges as government pushes ahead to ‘discourage’ small boat crossings Migrant policy Asylum seekers will be housed in disused military bases, ferries and barges under government plans to reduce spending on hotels. Immigration minister Robert Jenrick is expected to announce the use of two RAF sites as he tries to reduce the £6.8m a day the government says it spends on hotel accommodation. The plans are likely [...]
UK immigration hits record levels despite labour shortages March 8, 2023 Immigration to the UK has hit record levels, despite labour shortages in key sectors, amid a fresh wave of public positivity towards arrivals. In the year ending in June 2022, long-term immigration into the UK was around 1.1m, up by 435,000 on the previous annual figure. Employment-related migration fell in vital sectors such as hospitality [...]
30,000 UK hotel rooms are being requisitioned by Home Office every day to house asylum seekers May 31, 2022 UP to 30,000 hotel rooms across the UK are being requisitioned by the Home Office every day to house asylum seekers waiting for their claims to be processed. A total of 37,000 asylum seekers are currently in hotel accommodation, at a cost to the UK taxpayer of almost £5m a day, according to a GB [...]
Minsk to retaliate against EU and UK, imposing sanctions on aviation December 6, 2021 Belarus is ready to retaliate against the EU and the UK, imposing sanctions on carriers flying into its air space and banning people from entering the country. “In response to the illegitimate restrictions on the Belarusian aviation industry, which are based on unfair competition, our country will take similar steps in relation to air carriers [...]
Migrant Crisis: France rejects joint border patrol proposal by Boris Johnson December 3, 2021 The Prime Minister of France, Jean Castex, told Boris Johnson that he could not accept a joint British-French patrol in the English Channel in response to the migrant crisis as the issue was a “matter of our sovereignty.” In a letter to the British prime minister Castex wrote “France is ready to pursue our operational [...]
France un-invites Priti Patel over migrant crisis November 26, 2021 The French government have uninvited the UK Home Secretary from a meeting of European interior ministers and the European Commission, after Boris Johnson asked them to “take back” undocumented migrants who cross the Channel to the UK, according to reports. “We find the open letter from the British prime minister unacceptable … Thus, Priti Patel [...]
Shock, shame and finger pointing after 27 migrants die: UK calls for joint patrols with France November 25, 2021 The UK government is urging France to agree to joint police patrols along the French Channel coast after a migrant boat capsized causing the loss of dozens of lives. The French regional maritime authority said 27 people had died. French officials had previously stated there were 31 deaths but the death toll was revised down, [...]
Some post-Brexit EU jobseekers end up in detention upon arrival May 13, 2021 A small number of jobseekers arriving into the UK have been sent to immigration removal centres, held in airport detention rooms or expelled. Among them are EU citizens with job interviews in the UK, The Guardian reports. When it comes to EU citizens looking for work in the UK, some rules since Brexit are straightforward [...]