Wednesday, 7 April 2010


Press Releases

Immigration: Now it's the Foreign Secretary Who Get's His Facts Seriously Wrong

April 7, 2010

No sooner has the PM had his knuckles wrapped by the Statistics Authority for using misleading statistics on immigration, than his Foreign Secretary does the same on Radio 5 Live.

In an interview at 8.40 a.m. this morning on the Five Live Breakfast Show, David Miliband said:

"One point that is very often not understood is that half the people who came into the country last year, of 160,000, were British people returning to Britain ……..".

In fact he was referring to net immigration for 2008 which was 163,000 but none of them were British people returning home. In fact, twice as many Brits left as arrived that year so they made no contribution to net immigration. Of the total of 590,000 who arrived in 2008 only about 1 in 7 was British.

Commenting, Sir Andrew Green Chairman of Migrationwatch said, 'Yet again a very senior member of the Government has got his facts on immigration completely wrong. If Cabinet Ministers cannot get the basic facts right, how can they possibly have an effective immigration policy.’

NOTE TO EDITORS:

Prime Minister gets it wrong on immigration – again

Monday, April 5, 2010  

In his speech on immigration on 31 March, the Prime Minister attacked “those who propose a quota” on immigration. He claimed that it was unworkable and quoted from an IPPR paper to support his case.

In fact nobody is calling for a quota on immigration. He was, presumably, confusing an overall policy objective for net immigration which the Cross Party Group on Balanced Migration wish to see with a Conservative proposal for a cap on work permits which are only a small part of the picture.

A report out today from Migrationwatch examines the IPPR claims quoted by the Prime Minister and finds them to be unfounded. They are based on an overestimate of net immigration from the EU and they fail to take account of the plans by both major parties for a second Points Based test before economic migrants are granted settlement. The Migrationwatch paper demonstrates that a broad strategic aim of 40,000 a year is entirely feasible over a period of years.

Said Sir Andrew Green, Chairman of Migrationwatch: 'The Prime Minister is again getting into a muddle over immigration. It is hard to know whether he is trying to distract attention from the inexcusable government record of admitting three million immigrants since 1997 or whether he is seeking to avoid any firm commitment to limiting immigrant numbers in future.'

Notes to Editors:
1 The text of the Prime Ministers speech can be found athttp://www.number10.gov.uk/news/speeches-and-transcripts
2 The IPPR paper “The Limit to Limits” is at http://www.ippr.org.uk/publicationsandreports

A selection of recent media reports

A CHALLENGE to the three main political parties to toughen their policies on immigration has been made by Mid Sussex MP Nicholas Soames. The co-chairman of the Cross-Party Group on Balanced Migration has published an open letter with Labour MP Frank Field, calling for measures to prevent Britain's...
Bognor Regis Observer (07-Apr-2010)

Ashford MP Damian Green and Prime Minister Gordon Brown have clashed over immigration policy during a boisterous last session of Prime Minister's question time before polling...
Kent Online (07-Apr-2010)

The astonishing range of nationalities employed at an NHS hospital was laid bare yesterday. 
Daily Mail (07-Apr-2010)

The Attorney General was accused of lying yesterday when she gave evidence at the trial of her cleaner. Baroness Scotland falsely claimed to have seen a passport and Home Office letter showing that her Tongan maid had the right to work in Britain, a court...
Mail Online (07-Apr-2010)

MPs raised major concerns today about the viability of a £1.2 billion Government programme to protect Britain from terrorism, cross-border crime and illegal immigration.
Evening Standard (07-Apr-2010)

European migrants who are jobless and cannot support themselves are to be removed from Britain under a new Home Office...
Telegraph.co.uk (07-Apr-2010)

HOMELESS migrants are being told they must find jobs or face being kicked out in a tough crackdown announced...
Daily Express (07-Apr-2010)

MPs have raised major concerns about the viability of a £1.2 billion Government programme to protect Britain from terrorism, cross-border crime and illegal immigration.
Evening Standard (07-Apr-2010)

For the vast majority of the British people, the election choice is simple: to try to bear more of Brown, to give Cameron a chance or to throw their toys out of the...
Mail Online (07-Apr-2010)

The NHS is the single most important issue for Londoners going into the General Election, suggests a poll carried out for BBC London. The 1,507 Londoners surveyed by ComRes also said immigration was the least most important major...
BBC - Press Office (06-Apr-2010)

Posted by Britannia Radio at 18:36