New map shows how immigration is reshaping your town
That suggests new migrants arriving from abroad in the last year now account for 4.6 per cent of the London borough's total population – roughly one in 20 people. Luton (4.3 per cent) and Coventry (4.2 per cent) had similarly high figures, according to estimates published by the Office for National Statistics ( ONS ). Experts say current immigration levels, which have hit all-time highs, are piling even greater pressure upon on housing, schools and the NHS. Our postcode search tool - available to use below - shows how the situation in your area has changed over the last 12 months, tracking births and deaths as well as net international migration. Robert Bates, research director at the Centre for Migration Control, said mass migration is 'changing the very fabric of Britain'.
He said: 'Assimilation has been made impossible by the sheer scale of mass migration and our national culture is damaged as a result. Stretched public services - from the NHS and GP surgeries to public transport and schools - are being further eroded by a low wage, low-skill immigration system. Politicians have ignored the concerns of voters due to a misguided belief that open borders benefit the economy. We fast need a government which rejects this dogma and starts work to scrap a whole raft of failed visa routes, end foreign nationals' access to the welfare system, and invests in skills for the British workforce.' There were an estimated 61.8m people in England and Wales in mid-2024, up from 61.1m in mid-2023, according to the ONS' estimates.
That increase, of 706,881 people, was eclipsed only by the 821,210 population rise in the 12 months to mid-2023, with growth in both years driven almost wholly by record rises in the number of migrants. Some 1.1m people are thought to have immigrated in the last 12 months, countered by the 450,000 believed to have emigrated. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage yesterday claimed the figures were' disastrous for the quality of life for everyone in the country'. There were slightly more births (596,012) than deaths (566,030) in the year to mid-2024, which added just 29,982 to the population. In terms of raw numbers, the biggest local authorities, such as Birmingham (38,700) had the most international migrants arriving.
Given the West Midlands city has a population of 1.2million, however, the effects of international migration aren't as stark as they are in Newham. The City of London technically had the highest share of its current population down to international migration in 2024 (10.8 per cent) – although it is home to only 15,000 people. Only one local authority, South Holland in Lincolnshire, experienced a negative sum, due to more international migrants leaving than arriving. The ONS said it had 557 arrivals from abroad last year, but 695 people emigrated. Movement around the UK – known as internal migration – is recorded separately. Alp Mehmet, chairman of Migration Watch UK, said: 'The latest ONS figures are another eye-opener. 'While there is no breakdown of migration into nationality, gender, age or immigration status - as the ONS should do in the future - overall, the population of England and Wales increased by over 700,000 (the equivalent of Newcastle.) Just 30,000 of this was from births exceeding deaths.'
Mr Mehmet also branded the government's response to the rising rates as 'complacent'. He said: 'Most worrying, these latest figures show that the speed with which the nature of our society is changing has not let up, and that the ethnic minority proportion of our population will become the majority in 30-35 years. The government must take decisive action to stem the immigration tsunami if we are not to become the island of strangers the Prime Minister referred to a few months ago.' The ONS cautions there might be some overlap in the data, although it is unclear by how much because of the difficulties in examining population flow.
For example, the same person could be classed as both an international immigrant and internal emigrant. They could also die, further confusing the picture. Tory shadow Home Office minister Katie Lam said the data showed the population is rising at 'an unsustainable pace'. She said: 'This isn't about numbers on a spreadsheet, it's about pressure on housing, NHS waiting lists, school places, wages and it's about community and our culture. Britain simply cannot plan or build fast enough to keep up. We must secure our borders and deliver a fair and sustainable immigration system that works for the British people.'
However Home Secretary Yvette Cooper (pictured) said yesterday the figures 'confirm the truth of the Tory legacy on immigration'. She added: 'Their failed open borders experiment resulted in net migration quadrupling to a peak of almost a million per year in 2023 even as they promised it would fall. Since the election, net migration has come steeply down, and as part of the Government's Plan for Change we have set out new measures in the Immigration White Paper and have already changed immigration rules to bring net migration down further. To be successful, effective and fair, our immigration system must be properly controlled and managed. Out of the chaos and failure of the Tory past, that is what this Government will deliver.'
Keir Starmer unveiled a crackdown on immigration in May, warning that failure to control the system risked turning Britain into an 'island of strangers'. Downing Street was forced to deny angry comparisons from MPs that it was an echo of Enoch Powell's infamous 'Rivers of Blood' speech. Scrambling to blunt the threat of Reform, Sir Keir has vowed to give voters what they had 'asked for time and time again' as he announced a package to 'take back control of our borders'. However, the month after the speech Sir Keir went on to say he 'deeply regretted' it, despite polling showing most Brits had no problem with the language used.
His package of long-awaited policies to curb immigration involved a hiking of the skills threshold for immigrants and a toughening of the rules on fluency in English. Migrants will also be required to wait 10 years for citizenship rather than the current five and face deportation for even lower-level crimes. Policymakers estimate the Government's package will bring down annual inflows by around 100,000.
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'I was just very disappointed in my fellow human beings. The only good thing is that the riot brought his all closer together in Southport, especially around here. 'That was the one big positive to come out of it all. 'But the hard truth is that people will read and accept lies as the truth and I suppose that is because they want to. 'And we have to accept that people are now angry for all sorts of reasons and one of them I think is because they don't see the Government as very strong. It bends too easily. 'On the one hand we are getting misinformation from social media about the dangers of illegal immigration and on the other we are not getting enough information from the Government over how many immigrants are arriving here and what they intend to do about it. 'I don't think Starmer is being proactive enough. 'We need to sort out what is going on. For example, a lot of the people coming across on boats are losing their passports so they cannot be deported because no-one knows where they came from. 'That should be sorted immediately. If you don't have a passport you should be unable to claim asylum and that should be the hard and fast rule. 'The Government need to work with us to calm our fears. Of course people here are frightened of those from different cultures with backgrounds they don't know about. 'Starmer has to understand that and he has got to have a policy that we understand. 'I do hold liberal views but I do realise you cannot have uncontrolled immigration without it having a knock on effect on every part of out lives. 'I do fear there could be further riots in the country but I hope that there isn't. 'I think that since the riot last year we have become closer in Southport but I think what is going on in the rest of the country is a shambles. 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'A year on and nothing has changed under Labour, people are still massively concerned which is why Reform won every seat at the recent elections. 'The only change at the hotel seems to be permanent security guards on reception which shows there is still a high level of threat and concern.' Claire Mitchell, 51, a Tamworth local and a regular gym-goer, said: 'What happened a year ago was horrific to see. I was ashamed and surprised. I did not think Tamworth was that sort of place. 'I don't believe everything I read on social media. There are people with agendas seeking to sew division. 'I have seen people from the hotel sitting around the lake and passing the time of day like anyone else might. It is not something I get concerned about. 'Fake news is a terrible thing and the riots we saw last year were prompted by that. 'Tamworth is a great place. I was brought up here and it has so much more to offer than the terrible behaviour of a minority. I find it sad that its reputation has been tarnished in this way. 'A year on, I do not think it matters which political party is in power. 'For me, anyone who risks their life getting on a dinghy to cross the sea has got something to run from. 'There will always be some who take advantage of a humanitarian situation but we must not let that blind us.' Retired IT guy and gym-goer Alex Freeman, 72, said: 'Whatever your opinion of the immigration situation, there is no excuse for threatening people's welfare and damaging property and that's what happened last year. 'I don't mind peaceful protest but that was threatening harm to other human beings and that is just wrong. 'I am anti the boats, I think immigration should be controlled and if you do something illegal then you shouldn't end up being given free stuff in a hotel. 'It's difficult. These are obviously desperate people but this country is not so big. 'It annoys me when I see homeless people in this country and then I think these people in the hotels have travelled across multiple countries to get to the UK. 'Why are they doing this? I know France and Germany take a lot in but I don't think they are treated as nicely as we treat them. 'We have limited resources – we have a broken NHS, potholes everywhere and we're constantly being told there is not enough money, so of course people are going to be angry. 'This is a terrible situation. 'I don't have any reason to think the people in the hotel are any different or worse than anyone else. 'I see them doing things we all do – going to the lake, looking at the ducks. If some do naughty stuff then that is rare just as it is rare when one of us commits a crime. 'And I know they are a tiny fraction of overall immigration. They get a lot of attention but they are not the ones breaking our system.' A 36-year-old mother of three, and regular gym goer, said: 'I do feel a little bit unsafe in the dark evenings. I park a bit closer to the entrance because the hotel is full of males and they hang around with nothing to do and it does make you feel on edge. 'I did not agree with the protests. Violence is never the answer but people don't feel listened to so it is difficult. 'Yes, you feel unsafe but I also feel a bit sorry for them. Where are they meant to go? 'I saw more police around now than I did before last year's trouble but I don't know whether that is to keep everyone safe or because something has happened. 'There is a lot of hearsay, a lot of rumours. I hear about women being cat-called but I have never have anything like that happen to me personally so it is a difficult one to judge.'
