Net migration to the UK has almost halved, dropping to 431,000 in the year to December 2024 compared with 860,000 in December 2023, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The decline comes amid pledges from both Conservative and Labour parties to reduce immigration levels.
The ONS reported the fall in net migration was due to a decrease in the numbers of people coming to work and study in the UK, due to stricter rules preventing immigrants from bringing family members with them.
Yet despite this sharp decrease, public concern over immigration remains high.
A recent YouGov poll suggested 69% of Brits think immigration over the last ten years has been too high, while only 16% said it was about right.
Recently Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced backlash following a speech in which he addressed border control and national identity.
He said: “We risk becoming an island of strangers, not a nation that walks forward together.”
His remarks drew widespread criticism, with many comparing his language to Enoch Powell’s infamous ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech, which claimed that Brits risked becoming “strangers in their own country.”
Among those critical of Starmer’s comments are the children of immigrants who described the comments as both divisive and hypocritical.
Iman Qureshi, a history graduate from east London, hit back at the comments.
He said: “I think it’s ironic to say that immigrants are the issue when so many resources have been stolen from so many cultures for centuries.
“This a country where so much of its wealth is built on the backs of colonised countries resources, so I think its unjust to blame immigrants for this country’s problems.”
Despite the UK being her home she at times has been made to feel like she doesn’t truly belong.
Qureshi said: “I’ve always felt more British than I’ve felt Pakistani and I consider the UK my only home. But these days I feel like I have to constantly prove myself.”
Anita a law student of Albanian decent from London said: “I sometimes think it’s the individuals who are anti- immigration that risk this narrative of island of strangers.
“Because no matter how much immigrants like my parents try to fit into British society, there is always someone that wants immigrants to leave.
“How can the nation move forward if immigrants are constantly treated like strangers to begin with?”
While the government celebrated the fall in net migration figures as evidence of policy success in tackling the issue, the debate over immigration and identity continues to provoke strong reactions across the country.
Feature image: Summia Islam
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