Fri Nov 29 14:23:06 UTC 2024: ## UK Prime Minister Blames Conservatives for Record High Migration

**London, November 29, 2024** – UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has accused previous Conservative governments of deliberately engineering record-high migration levels, citing newly revised figures showing net migration reached 906,000 in the year ending June 2023. Starmer claimed the Conservatives used Brexit to create an “open borders experiment,” a policy he says led to a dramatic increase in immigration.

The data, released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), reveals Indians were the largest group of non-EU migrants, with 116,000 arriving for work and 127,000 for studies. Other significant migrant groups included those from Nigeria, Pakistan, China, and Zimbabwe.

While recent data shows a 20% drop in net migration to 728,000 in the year ending June 2024 under Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak – attributed to stricter policies on family visas for students and care workers, and higher salary thresholds – Starmer maintains the damage is done. He pledged to “turn the page” on migration with a new White Paper outlining stricter policies and reforms to the point-based visa system. This includes cracking down on visa abuse and penalizing employers who flout immigration rules.

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch acknowledged mistakes were made, but Starmer dismissed this as insufficient, highlighting the significant financial burden of asylum, which cost £5.38 billion in 2023-24. The number of asylum seekers, while significant (91,000 in the year ending June 2023, falling to 84,000 in the year ending June 2024), remained a smaller component of the overall migration figures.

Starmer’s emphasis on restoring order and control over borders echoes themes from recent political campaigns in other countries, suggesting a broader global trend towards stricter immigration policies. The Labour government’s plan to address the issue will be closely watched.

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