Thec ONS says “In the year ending June 2022 long term immigration into the UK was estimated at around 1.1 million . This is an estimated increase of 435,000 compared to the year end June 2021. (628,000).”
The net figure after allowing for people who left the UK was 504,000. This included 89,000 from Ukraine, 21,000 from Afghanistan, 35,000 illegally via small boats and 224,000 from the EU.
You would have thought given these huge numbers the Remain supporters would be thrilled that so many were still coming from the EU and Ukraine, and business would be delighted that so many came legally on work visas. Instead both these groups complain that 1.1 million is not enough and we should be making it even easier for people to come here to work.
They need to tell us how we are going to offer all these new arrivals decent housing, and set out how much all this costs established taxpayers resident here. Certainly the net increase of 504,000 needs a large number of additional homes to be added to the housing stock. Arguably the 1.1 million need extra homes as the homes vacated by those leaving may not be in the right places or at the right price for the incomers. The incomers tend to want cheaper housing in the hot jobs areas in London and the southeast where property is dear.
I favour more realistic controls on numbers as we used to have. We are well behind on providing sufficient homes. Now the Bank of England has driven long interest rates up so much to bring the housing market down there will be a bigger shortfall in housing provision.
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