Can you handle these 3 facts on immigration? March 5, 2014 Last night, a Newsnight report claimed the publication of a much-anticipated cross-governmental report on immigration has been put off by Downing Street, because it points to immigration having a smaller impact than the government claims. The BBC's detailed how Number 10 sources have said the report isn’t ready for release, but how, according to officials, [...]
City Matters: Tighter immigration controls risk London’s position as a global business hub March 2, 2014 IMMIGRATION is a sensitive subject at the best of times. So when figures published last week showed that net migration had climbed to 212,000 in the year to September 2013 – well above the government’s target of reducing it to below 100,000 by 2015 – it was inevitable that critics would attack the current system [...]
PM’s migration target in tatters as numbers rise February 27, 2014 EFFORTS by the government to reduce immigration are failing, as the level of net migration to the UK rises once again, back over 200,000 in the 12 months to September 2013. Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that the number of people migrating to the UK rose to 532,000 in the [...]
Net annual immigration rises to 212,000 February 27, 2014 There has been a 38 per cent increase in net flow of long-term migrants to 212,000 in the year ending September 2013, an increase from the 154,000 seen in the previous year, according to the Office for National Statistics. 532,000 people immigrated to the UK in the year ended September 2013, a slight increase from [...]
Why this EU commissioner is fighting for open immigration February 26, 2014 European commissioner Laszlo Andor has come out fighting against the Swiss referendum decision to restrict the free movement of European citizens. On 9 February, the Swiss backed strict quotas for EU immigration by a wafer thin majority of 50.34 per cent on a healthy turnout. The commissioner's speech comes only a few weeks after fresh [...]
EU migrants forced to prove weekly income for benefits February 19, 2014 EU MIGRANTS will have to prove they are earning at least £149 per week for three months before they can claim state help, the work and pensions secretary has announced. Iain Duncan Smith said the change will come into force in March. The government is seeking to strengthen EU rules on freedom of movement, which [...]
City Matters: Put the immigration debate on a factual footing – or our economy will suffer February 2, 2014 EUROPE is back in the headlines, with immigration and David Cameron’s meeting with French President Francois Hollande pushing the politically-divisive issue to the top of the agenda. We regularly read that European immigration and new EU regulation are a problem. But if we are to secure the best future for the UK, we must accurately [...]
Migrant benefit reform: Doing the right thing for all of the wrong reasons January 20, 2014 YESTERDAY saw the government announce the latest in a line of restrictions on the benefits immigrants can claim. New jobless EU migrants will be denied access to housing benefit from April, and will only be able to claim Jobseeker’s Allowance for six months unless they have a “genuine” chance of work. This comes on top [...]
Watchdog’s warning: cutting migration will push up national debt January 14, 2014 CUTTING net immigration to below 100,000 per year will push up Britain’s national debt by around 20 per cent over the coming decades, the spending watchdog warned yesterday. Immigrants tend to be of working age and so do not cost the UK much on education, and will typically pay many years of tax before claiming [...]
Clegg: I would support benefit ban for migrants January 12, 2014 NICK CLEGG would support the principle of a two-year ban on EU migrants claiming benefits, he indicated yesterday. Speaking to the BBC’s Andrew Marr, the Deputy Prime Minister said: “I’m up for establishing a clear principle that says the freedom to move around the European Union to look for work is one thing, but it’s [...]