We have published new figures showing that nearly six in ten (57%) of the British population think there should be a reduction in immigration. See our polling summary. A Deltapoll conducted earlier this month found that 77% of 2019 Conservative voters wanted a reduction in immigration, as did 72% in areas that the Conservatives newly won at the last election. Separately, recent findings from YouGov show that just 9% of the public think immigration has been too low over the past decade. And yet, policy will very likely do more to satisfy this small minority than anything that will satisfy the wishes of the majority.
If you watched only the mainstream media, the news that nearly six in ten want tighter control might come as a shock. The government is rarely called to account (except by us) for doing its utmost to drive up immigration after promising time and again that they would reduce it. The obvious role of immigration in worsening the housing crisis and driving the ongoing bulldozing of green countryside (with immigration having accounted for over 80% of huge population growth – see our recent papers here, here and here) is usually shamefully ignored in media discussion. Given our media-obsessed leaders, it is not surprising that the direction of travel for immigration policy is completely out-of-touch with the views of the majority of Brits.
Blog of the week
Why Do We Need So Many More Houses? Immigration
We know there is a need for more houses. House construction was at a 30-year high last year, with the government heading towards its target of 300,000 homes per year in England by the mid-2020s, and this was after more than 240,000 dwellings were added to the housing stock in 2018/19. As we pointed out in a recent research paper, over half of new homes needed in England by the early 2040s will be a result of immigration, requiring a new home every six minutes, or nearly 300 every day. Arrivals from abroad and children born to them will drive the need for nearly 2.7million homes between 2018 and 2043, equal to about nine cities the size of Glasgow. And yet, immigration is seldom cited as a factor in the high, and growing, demand for housing. High immigration is by far the most significant cause of the insatiable demand for housing. Instead of slackening planning regulations and encouraging further erosion of our treasured green spaces, as well as hastening radical change in our towns and villages, why doesn’t the government simply reduce immigration, as it promised to do? For more on this, see our blog here.
Migration Watch in the media
Our Chairman Alp Mehmet has featured in the news again this week. See below:
‘The situation goes from bad to worse because the Government seems incapable of stemming the flow. The public are in despair, as migrant after migrant pushes their way into the UK at will and people-smugglers laugh all the way to the bank. When will it end?’
‘I don’t think the deadline should be postponed, it’s been going for well over two years now. It started in 2019 for goodness’ sake. And here we are with a couple of weeks to go and people are saying let’s postpone it. I really don’t think that’s on.’
And another reaction to a major news story from the last week:
‘As we bend over backwards to make sure 5.5 million EU nationals continue enjoying our generosity, Brits in EU states get kicked in the face, to a deafening silence from Labour, the LibDems and the SNP.’
Make your voice heard
New opinion poll results make one thing very clear – the British public still favour a reduction in immigration. Concern about immigration has also jumped ten percentage points in the past year, according to YouGov. The advent of GB News offers a glimmer of light regarding more open discussion of issues that much of the established media are reluctant to cover. However, until the government accepts that immigration is far too high and must be reduced, and reconsiders its new (pretend-to-be-tough) immigration system, immigration levels will continue at catastrophic levels. Effective enforcement of immigration law would be a good way of showing political backbone and desire to get a grip. We were promised control of immigration and our borders; so far, it has been a case of policies designed to control numbers upwards. With regard to immigration, Mr Johnson’s administration has been a huge disappointment. If you feel as strongly as we do about this then please do write to your MP to make your feelings known.