Number of EU citizens leaving Britain hits a six-year high as net migration falls below 250,000
But the number is still miles from Theresa May's target to reduce it to the tens of thousands
NET MIGRATION has fallen below 250,000 for the first time in three years as Poles and east Europeans turn their back on Britain.
Official figures today revealed immigration totalled 588,000 in 2016 – adding a city the size of Sheffield to the population.
But 339,000 people left the country, including 117,000 EU citizens - the highest number for nearly a decade.
It meant net migration dropped by a quarter to 248,000.
Experts said last year’s Brexit bombshell vote appeared to have triggered an ‘exodus’ among lower-skilled workers from so-called EU8 countries including Poland and the Czech Republic.
Immigration from the EU8 to the UK fell from 73,000 to 48,000 in 2016.
And emigration by EU8 citizens that have transformed the face of Britain over the past decade with jobs in plumbing, construction and food processing leapt from 27,000 to 43,000.
The ‘net’ change of 5,000 was lowest since former Labour PM Tony Blair first opened Britain’s borders to the army of workers from the former Soviet states in 2004.
The figures are an Election boost for Theresa May and her vow to bring net migration down to the ‘tens of thousands’.
But experts warned reaching her goal – repeated in last week’s Tory manifesto - remained a “long way off”.
Migration Watch said Britain’s population remains on course to hit 80 million by 2040.
MOST READ IN POLITICS
Alp Mehmet, Migration Watch vice-chair, said: “This reduction in net migration is welcome but it is still running at a quarter of a million a year – a level that would once have been dismissed as incredible.
“This means broadly a UK population increase of nearly half a million, every year. This is not a situation that can be allowed to slide.
“A strong focus by the next government on reducing immigration will be essential if the growing strains on our public services and society are to be relieved.”
Polish authorities launched a campaign two years ago to encourage hundreds of thousands of their countrymen back home.
Since joining the EU, more than a million migrants from the EU8 are now working in Britain.
The Institute of Directors warned firms faced a battle to plug gaps left by key members of staff from the “home grown pool” of workers.
Jonathan Portes, politics professor at King’s College London warned the economy would suffer if net migration continues to fall.
He told the Sun: “A change such as this was always likely to show up first among the EU8 as they are typically in the flexible end of the Labour market – and likely to be the ones who respond quickly to changes.
“If you’re a French banker you might leave – but it will take you six months to come to that decision.”
He added: “I think it’s bad news because this fall isn’t the result any new immigration policy. It reflects a combination of a slowing economy and the fact that the UK is a less attractive place to live and work for Europeans.
“Whatever you think of immigration that idea that the best way of getting it down is to make Britain less attractive can’t be the right answer.”
The figures also revealed 134,000 Brits emigrated last year – the highest since 2014. Meanwhile 67,000 Romanians and Bulgarians came to Britain, up just 2,000 on 2015.