The UK population rose to almost 66.8 million last year, though the lowest number of births for 14 years helped to slow the increase, according to official figures published yesterday.
Immigration was the big driver behind a 361,000 rise in the population to the end of last June, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures showed.
The population increase was equivalent to the size of Leicester and was described by one campaigner for lower immigration as “eye-watering”.
Overall the population grew by 0.5 per cent, the lowest level since mid 2004 when people from eight east European states including Poland were given full access to the UK labour market.
Net migration — the difference between those arriving and those leaving for more than a year