Britain to Have Two Million Migrants in Next Decade

Home>>World

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, August 06, 2002

Britain to Have Two Million Migrants in Next Decade

Britain can expect to receive more than two million immigrants every 10 years for the forseeable future unless curbs are introduced, the Daily Telegraph said on Monday.

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

Britain can expect to receive more than two million immigrants every 10 years for the forseeable future unless curbs are introduced, the Daily Telegraph said on Monday.

Estimates from the campaign group Migration Watch UK suggest net non-EU immigration levels have doubled in less than a decade, swelled by record numbers of asylum seekers and illegal entrants.

In 2000, the last year for which figures are available, 183,000more people arrived in Britain intending to settle than left the country as emigrants. In total, more than 400,000 arrived but this figure included British citizens returning from overseas.

Similar numbers were recorded in the previous two years -- double the average for most of the 1990s. The net loss of British citizens is accelerating, with a net gain last year of 230,000 non-British citizens compared with 92,000 in the mid-1990s.

In the 10 years between 1985 and 1995, net immigration was averaging 50,000 a year, a quarter of the figures envisaged by Migration Watch UK in the absence of tighter controls.

Andrew Green, a former diplomat and chairman of Migration Watch,said: "The scale of inward migration is now so great as to be contrary to the best interests of every section of our community.

"The continued refusal of the main political parties to address these issues can only lead to the rise of the extreme Right, to which we are strongly opposed.

"The system has been allowed to fall into a shambles, in part because no one was willing to discuss the issues for fear of being labelled racist. The time has now come for a frank and open debate."

Questions?Comments? Click here

WTO Chief Says China is a Responsible Member ( 2 Messages)

Experts Reject 'China Threat' Theory ( 35 Messages)

HK Financial Secretary Confirmed Marriage with Chinese Diving Queen ( 18 Messages)

China's High-tech Development Geared to Marketable Industries ( 16 Messages)

Christian Designs Found in Tomb Stones of Eastern Han Dynasty ( 36 Messages)

Missing Chinese Girl Found Safe in US East Coast ( 3 Messages)