As we approach freedom day (sort of), the big question for us is how long it will be before immigration reverts to its pre-pandemic levels. We firmly believe that it won’t take very long at all. The problem is, at this important juncture, the government have abandoned the method that has been used over many years to count people in and out of the country. Admittedly, this system was not entirely reliable (NB the mind-boggling underestimation of the number of EU citizens who applied for settlement – over six million, many more than the number expected to apply). But rather than continue with the International Passenger Survey (IPS), if only to gauge flows, it was binned in favour of an untried system that draws on administrative data, with an inevitable time-lag before reliable figures can be produced.
Meanwhile, according to recent polls, some 50% of people have taken the government at its word that their new system has done the trick and immigration is not only under control but will reduce too. It isn’t and it won’t. One only has to cast an eye at what is going on around the world, and not just in very poor countries, to get a sense of the migratory pressures that push migrants in our direction. A surge in immigration is inevitable, and the government is deluding itself if thinks it has regular (including work) migration, under control. But rest assured, unlike the government, we will not take our eye off this particular ball.
Blog of the week
New Evidence Of Our Failing Asylum System Which Costs You Over £1bn Per Year
We have drawn attention a number of times in the past few months to the dearth of returns (actually, none) of illegal Channel migrants in 2021. This is, of course, in the wider context of crumbling and weak enforcement and lamentable control. We have also pointed to the massive costs involved, pressures on our social services and resources such as policing and additional demands for accommodation. In March, we noted that the number of asylum cases waiting for over a year to be processed had risen to nearly 26,000 out of just under 52,000 claims. The backlog is growing, as is abuse of the system. 60,000 asylum seekers are currently in accommodation paid for by the taxpayer. You can read the full blog here.
Migration Watch in the media
Here are some reactions to the major immigration stories this week.
Mail Online: More than 7,400 migrants have made dangerous Channel dash to reach UK in 2021 so far – with 825 landing in last three days, Border Force data shows
‘The government is clearly powerless and whatever they say just confirms it.’
Financial Times: RNLI vows to continue sea rescues despite prison fears for picking up migrants
‘We know what the wonderful RNLI is for. What it mustn’t allow itself to become is the fetch and carrier of calculating and ruthless criminals who are only concerned about lining their pockets.’
‘About time, why did it take so long? And what about the thousands of others who are here and should have been removed years ago?’
Make your voice heard
| Our supporters often ask ‘what can be done?’ There is of course a great deal that can be done. We will continue to press this government, as we have all governments over the past twenty years, to have the right policies and measures in place to deal with mass migration, something we have had for a quarter of a century. The open borders brigade, including much of the establishment, cannot be allowed to get their way. That’s why we remind you every week of the option of writing to your MP. You may have noted this week that MPs representing some of the traditional Labour-voting constituencies the government won in 2019 had been pressing for action on immigration. Their constituents were not happy. Why not add your voice, to send an even clearer message. You can write to your MP here, and make your concerns about mass immigration known. |