Number of Britons leaving UK far higher than previously thought
The number of Britons leaving the UK is much higher than previously thought, according to official figures showing net migration has reached a new record.
A total of 257,000 British citizens are thought to have left the UK in 2024, compared to an initial estimate of 77,000.
The Office for National Statistics announced net migration was 944,000 in the year ending March 2023, 38,000 more than predicted, reaching a higher peak than previously thought and then falling faster in 2024 following the tightening of visa rules.
The new statistics come as Labor Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood came under fire on Monday for announcing a series of controversial tough measures designed to discourage asylum seekers and make it easier to remove those who do not have the right to remain in the country.
But there was also good news for Ms. Mahmood; because the figures also showed that the number of people coming to the UK in net migration in recent years, excluding those leaving, has fallen more than previously thought. In the year ending December 2024, the figure was 345,000; this was below the previous estimate of 431,000.
Previously, a Labor colleague accused Ms Mahmoodof of using “children as weapons” in her asylum system proposals.
Asked about claims that asylum seekers are using their children to ‘avoid deportation’, Lord Alf Dubs told the BBC’s Today programme: “I think that’s a theoretical statement; I just don’t accept it.”
He added: “I think it’s awful to use children as a weapon, as the home secretary has done; I’m at a loss for words, to be honest, because my concern was: what happens if we push people away who come here and they have children in the meantime?”
“What are we supposed to do with kids who are born here, who go to school here, who are part of our community, our society? We can’t just say, ‘Oh, get out because your family doesn’t claim to be here.'”
Net migration is the difference between the number of people moving to the UK long-term and the number leaving.
The ONS said the main reason for the change in net migration figures was an improvement in the method of calculating immigration of British nationals.
The ONS said the estimates were previously based on the International Passenger Survey, but this had too small a sample size and “extended beyond its original purpose” so it was no longer reliable.
The estimates are now produced using more robust and comprehensive data from the Department for Work and Pensions, which covers everyone with a National Insurance number and can be used to determine the likely immigration status of individuals in the UK.
This is breaking news, more to come…
