190,000 new immigrants settle in the UK
The Office of National Statistics (ONS) estimates that 190,000 long-term migrants came to live in the UK in 2006, with the vast majority of these – 86 per cent – being foreign nationals.
On the other end of the scale, 400,000 people left the country – the highest since records began in 1991 – with more than half of this figure known to be British citizens.
While London remained the most popular migration mecca, other areas, such as the south east, experienced a population surge.
The new figures follow an embarrassing ordeal where the government was forced to admit it had underestimated the number of foreign migrants working in the UK by 300,000.
At the end of October, work and pensions secretary Peter Hain admitted 1.1 million foreign nationals had been employed in the UK since 1997, not the 800,000 figure previously stated by ministers.
This was followed by a further fiasco this week, when home secretary Jacqui Smith was accused of covering up an immigration blunder which may have allowed at least 5,000 illegal immigrants to work in security services.
The figures today will renew Conservative pressure to impose stricter restrictions on immigration from outside the EU.
The government insists immigration is beneficial to the British economy and to sustaining key public services such as the National Health Service.
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