Migration Watch UK: News

Changing Minds – The Financing of the Pro-Mass Immigration Lobby

The Daily Mail recently reported on the Diana Memorial Fund’s financing of a pro mass immigration campaign.  The article highlighted the role of the Migration Observatory in this campaign, called “Changing Minds”. The Migration Observatory has not responded to our questions seeking clarification of their position. However, we have now looked further into this issue ourselves and have found a systematic attempt by a small group of charities to influence public opinion on immigration.  These charities are, of course, free to undertake such a campaign but it seems that the Migration Observatory which claims to be impartial is a key vehicle in their campaign.   Their website declares their funders but makes no mention of their connection with this campaign.  There must be some question as to whether such activity is appropriate to a major university.

To read the full Briefing Paper No 10.27 click here.

The British in Europe

There are 407,000 British workers in other countries of the European Union, compared to over 1.4 million workers from another EU country in the UK.

To see the full Briefing Paper No 4.21 click here.

BBC Newsnight Poll - Romanian and Bulgarian migration

This is a stunning survey, which the BBC has rather desperately tried to play down. The percentages look small but when multiplied by the size of the work force they produce large numbers. One percent of Romanians of working age (total 15.4 million) actively considering work in the UK amounts to 150,000 and four percent of working age Bulgarians (total 4.9 million) is another 200,000. Even if one takes only those making concrete plans, the number of Romanians is 61,000 and the number of Bulgarians 58,000 or nearly 120,000 in total.  Not all will come of course and polls of intentions are notoriously difficult but others may well come once their friends are installed. 

Commenting on the poll, Sir Andrew Green, Chairman of Migration Watch UK said:

“These figures suggest that the Migration Watch central estimate of 50,000 a year is distinctly cautious. Numbers suggested on the scale by this survey would make it impossible for the Government to sustain their target of tens of thousands, assuming they reach it by the end of the parliament.”

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18 Bogus Arguments for Mass Immigration

11 April, 2013

Immigration Mythology Briefing Paper 12.4 has been updated. The updated paper outlines the many myths that are put forward by the mass immigration lobby in support of the current levels of immigration and dispels each myth in turn.

What They Say: Extracts from the Media and Internet

The London Evening Standard - 28 March, 2013: Immigration: why the public is right by David Goodhart

“I had not given immigration much thought.…….though as a journalist of Leftish sympathies I was reflexively in favour of it…” “What changed that was hearing Tory intellectual David Willetts speak about the risk of too much diversity undermining the moral consensus on which the welfare state depends.”

“It seemed like such a good idea that I’d never thought of.”… “There was an element of intellectual opportunism about it. I thought he was on to a really, really big thing.”

“Unlike most members of my political tribe of north London liberals I have come to believe that public opinion is broadly right about immigration. Britain has had too much of it, too quickly, especially in recent years, and much of it, especially for the least well off, has not produced self-evident economic benefit.”

To see other extracts on What They Say click here

Sir Andrew Green Comments on NIESR report on Romanian and Bulgarian Migration

This morning the National Institute of Economic and Social Research published a paper which failed to estimate the number of Romanian and Bulgarian migrants who will come to the UK when transitional controls end on 1 January 2014. 

Commenting on the report Sir Andrew Green, Chairman of Migration Watch UK, said:

“This report is a bucket of whitewash. In 60 pages it produces no estimate whatever of the likely future scale of Romanian and Bulgarian migration to the UK. It doesn't even address the only estimate published so far – by Migration Watch UK which has a strong record in these matters. It brushes aside any indication of an increase in migration from these countries whose workers are amongst the most mobile in the EU. Furthermore it avoids tackling the key question of how many Romanian and Bulgarian migrants now in Spain and Italy might transfer to Britain. “ 

Guardian headline contradicted by research quoted in the same article

An article in the Guardian “Comment is free” site on the 30 January reported a poll by Ires, a Romanian polling agency, which found that 15% of Romanians resident in Romania were “very interested” in working abroad of whom 1 in 4 would choose the UK as the preferred destination.

4% of the adult population of Romania is around 600,000. A substantial number. More relevant perhaps are numbers in the age group most likely to migrate, the 15-39 year olds. This age group makes up about 9 million people in Romania of which 4% is 360,000. This broadly corresponds to our estimate of net migration from Romania and Bulgaria of between 30,000 and 70,000 a year.

Social Housing in London: What is the True Story?

There have long been suspicions that the public have not been told the full story about the impact of immigration on the queues for social housing.  Research by Migrationwatch into the situation in London, published today, confirms that there are important questions to be answered.  It finds that less than half the new lets by London councils included the nationality of the tenant.

The housing crisis that has developed in London means that the waiting list is ten times the number of new lets each year. That means that many, especially those with smaller families, will never get into social housing.  One fifth of all social housing in London is occupied by foreign nationals yet there has been little public debate on who should get social housing. Only a small proportion of the people that apply will get social housing. That is why it is there is an open debate and transparency about who should get it.

It is important to be clear that the debate should be about foreign nationals, not the foreign born. Many of the latter have become British citizens and, of course, should be treated like any other British citizen. However, foreign nationals are those who have not even been in Britain long enough to qualify or who do not wish to become citizens.

There can be no debate without the facts yet there are serious gaps in the information available.   One third of new lets by London’s Local Authorities are not even recorded in the official CORE data (Continuous Recording of Sales and Lettings) while others submit data but without the nationality of new tenants. Indeed, four London councils who, together, own a quarter of London’s local authority owned stock do not submit any information at all.

It is particularly striking that, when two other London Councils were challenged by Migrationwatch, the nationality data virtually disappeared in the returns that they submitted to the government the following year. Councils are legally obliged to submit data to CORE but can get away with omitting nationality on the claim that this particular question is not compulsory.

Commenting, Sir Andrew Green, Chairman Migrationwatch UK, said “It is deeply unsatisfactory that the information on new lets should be so chaotic given the huge importance of this issue to so many families. The government must make the nationality question compulsory.  This could provide the basis for a renewed debate on the criteria by which social housing should be allocated”.

Commenting on the Migrationwatch report, Frank Field MP and Nicholas Soames MP, Co-chairmen of the Cross Party group on Balanced Migration, said “This is a huge issue for many people. The government must now launch a full enquiry into what is going on in the allocation of social housing in London.”

See Briefing Paper No 7.15

Sir Andrew Green's Letter in The Daily Telegraph

Curbing Immigration 

Sir,

I am most grateful for your generous endorsement of Migrationwatch in today’s editorial (“Labour has no right to lecture on immigration”).

Looking ahead, we must recognize that many are shell shocked by the pace of change in our society, now underscored by the census results.  Integrating the nearly three million immigrants who have arrived in the last ten years will be vital to the harmony of our society but this cannot be achieved unless the inflows are brought under control.

That is why, in our view, David Cameron’s historic pledge was - and is – of central importance.   By setting a clear objective he has given direction and coherence to immigration policy.   We now project that he has a fighting chance of achieving it, provided that he sticks to his guns. Special interest groups will, of course, continue to fight their corners but the public interest in getting immigration under control is surely overwhelming.

© Copyright of Sir Andrew Green

Speech by Labour Party Leader, Ed Miliband this morning

Following the speech made this morning by the Labour Party Leader, Ed Miliband, Sir Andrew Green said:

"The steps which Ed Miliband outlined to promote integration are perfectly sensible but there was a glaring gap in his speech - namely his failure to say anything significant about limiting the scale of future immigration. Apparently, he is only going to "look at the whole system". Does he seriously think that we can integrate three million migrants into our community every ten years? Until Labour undertake to place limits on immigration they will not get a hearing from the British public."

Note to editors: The 2011 census reported that 3.8 million people born abroad and resident in the UK arrived into England and Wales in the last ten years.

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