It is regularly suggested by right-wing voices, particularly in the Reform party as well as in sections of both the Conservatives and the DUP, that a major tide of migration is changing the UK beyond recognition.

Yesterday’s data from Britain’s Office of National Statistics (ONS) paints a very different picture, confirming that the relevant figures have actually been dropping for some time and are at their lowest level since 2021.

According to the ONS report, the latest fall in the level of net migration, which is the difference between people coming to the UK and those leaving, is a result of significantly fewer arrivals.

It is down by nearly 70 per cent on last year, by almost 80 per cent since the previous year and is now at the lowest rate since the pandemic, with an overall present population of 70m growing annually by just over 200,000 or less than 0.4 per cent.

© The Irish News