New figures expose immigration scare tactics


by Newswire    
3:14 pm - August 27th 2009

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A dramatic fall in migration figures published today exposes the scaremongering of anti-immigration groups, says the think-tank ippr.

Latest government figures published today show that net migration to the UK dropped by 44% in 2008.

The surplus of those immigrating over those emigrating for 2008 was 118,000, after a number of years when it was in excess of 200,000.

Leading think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr) highlights the fact that the drop is largely explained by rapid increases in the emigration of non-British citizens from the UK – up 50% in 2008. This trend is particularly marked for migrants from new EU member states – net migration from these countries was just 14,000 in 2008, down from a peak of over 80,000 in 2007.

They say:

ippr argues that these trends are unsurprising. There is strong evidence that migration responds to economic conditions – people come to the UK when there are jobs, and leave when there aren’t. The cyclical pattern of migration in the most recent period of economic growth was exaggerated in the UK by the impact of EU accession, but this was only a short-run effect – most of the migrants who came to the UK after 2004 always planned to go home.

ippr’s Head of Migration, Tim Finch said: “ippr has pointed out for some time that migration flows go in cycles, and these latest figures for 2008 indicate that after a number of years in which net migration was high, it is now declining sharply – almost certainly because of a combination of the economic downturn, the short term nature of much migration from new EU countries, and the impact of stronger controls and management put in place by the government.

“There has been a lot of irresponsible scaremongering about immigration in recent years which was based on the false assumption that high net migration into the UK was inevitable for years to come. As our recent report on re-migration showed, migration flows go both ways and we now need to be thinking about how our managed migration systems can continue to attract and retain the migrants we need to help our economy to recover and grow.”

All statistics taken from Office for National Statistics Migration Statistics Quarterly Report, August 2009, available at : http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=15230

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Reader comments


1. 5cc

I’ll be looking at how these figures are covered in more detail, if anyone’s interested, at Five Chinese Crackers.

It looks as though they will be buried in stories about rising birth rates (with special attention paid to the number of babies born to mothers who were born outside the UK) – so we’ll still have a negative immigration story spun out of them.

No huge headlines about the immigration/emigration we normally see in August are in the offing, it seems – but who knows what might happen overnight?

2. ukliberty

Ippr argues that these trends are unsurprising. There is strong evidence that migration responds to economic conditions – people come to the UK when there are jobs, and leave when there aren’t.

Quite. Why would they want to go where they would be worse off?

3. Left Outside

For the benefits ukliberty! In McBroon‘s Britain they all get cars you know.

4. Biffo

WERE THE IPPR THINKERS BLOODY KIDDING?

“… attract and retain the migrants we need to help our economy recover and grow…”

WTF are these people smoking or snorting?

Next week the bosses at IPPR will lay off the entire staff, hire industrious but cheaper Poles for the smarter office jobs and send the low-paid jobs to Bangalore to be done by overnight e-mail.

That’ll help matters at the IPPR no end!

On BBC local radio – in Portsmouth – an employers’ spokesman said bluntly of the influx of East European labour:

“Well, it’s certainly had the beneficial effect of stopping wage inflation!”

Beneficial for whom, Mr Fatcat?

The Fatcats and the migrant workers themselves, yes!

The scummy unskilled workshy local youths, no!

5. Bearded Socialist

All this hasn’t stopped the Mail going mad about how immigrants and single mothers are ruining this once great nation etc. etc.


Reactions: Twitter, blogs
  1. Immigration Tips

    Liberal Conspiracy » New figures expose immigration scare tactics: “There has been a lot of irresponsible scarem.. http://bit.ly/YaunW

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  2. Immigration Tips

    Liberal Conspiracy » New figures expose immigration scare tactics: “There has been a lot of irresponsible scarem.. http://bit.ly/YaunW

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  3. Phil Woolas talks sense, no really! « Left Outside

    [...] best to make clear that I still think Phil Woolas is an idiot. Maybe he should pay attention to the nice people at the ippr. [...]

  4. Liberal Conspiracy » New figures expose immigration scare tactics « Immigration

    [...] Read the o­ri­gi­nal here: L­ibera­l­ Co­n­s­p­ira­cy­ » N­ew­ figures&… [...]

  5. Cecilia Garcia

    Reading: "Liberal Conspiracy » New figures expose immigration scare tactics" (http://twitthis.com/e8icl4)

    [Original tweet]





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