Record net migration spurs urgent call to address housing crisis in the UK

The Centre for Policy Studies think tank said the Government’s target to build 300,000 homes a year is based on net migration being 170,500 a year.

But net migration hit 745,000 in the year to December – the highest on record.

Some 515,000 homes would need to be built every year to cope with the current levels of net migration, the study suggested.

Karl Williams, deputy research director at the Centre for Policy Studies, said: “These figures highlight the historic rise in net migration and the failure of successive governments in tackling the housing crisis.”

“Not only are we not building enough homes to meet demand from people already living in the UK, we are not even properly taking into account the needs of new arrivals.”

“The Government needs to get a grip on the immigration system to deliver the control it promised at the last election and do more to encourage housebuilding – greenfield and brownfield, urban and rural, north and south – otherwise a growing portion of the population will find themselves locked out of home ownership by our cavernous housing deficit.”

The CPS warned that high levels of migration “tends to be concentrated in the areas of greatest housing pressure”.

The think-tank urged ministers to introduce a cap on the number of migrants coming to the UK from 2025.

And the Home Office could increase the minimum salary threshold for skilled worker visas – something also supported by Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick – and clamp down on “low quality” university degrees.

The CPS added: “When it comes to fixing the housing crisis, a combination of high migration and low housebuilding is the worst of all possible worlds. Yet it is exactly what our politicians appear determined to deliver.”

The warning comes as Tory migration rebels were told they should stop “quibbling the methods” and focus on delivering for the British public.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary James Cleverly are “getting on with delivering” lower levels of migration and ending the Channel crisis, sources said.

Mr Cleverly is likely to face fury from his own MPs today during Home Office questions.

But in a pointed message to critics within the Conservative Party, such as former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, a source close to Mr Cleverly said they should “focus more on the stated mission”.

Ministers scrambled onto the airwaves yesterday to deny claims of a rift within the Government over efforts to cut net migration.

And some Tory MPs were angered by Mr Cleverly’s claim that the Rwanda deportation scheme is not the “be all and end all” of efforts to end the small boats crisis.

This has led to claims the Home Secretary is not addressing the “emergency”.

A source close to the Home Secretary said: “It is absolutely in sync with voters’ concerns on illegal migration.“

“His absolute focus is on the mission to stop the boats and on legal migration to control it and bring it down.“

“Nothing he has said suggests he is not fully committed to that job.“

As he said, “people should focus less on quibbling the methods and talking about the issue and focus more on the stated mission and getting on with delivering it. Which is what he and the PM will do.”

Net migration soared to a record high of 745,000 in the year to December – despite repeated promises by successive Governments to cut immigration.

Critics have warned the current levels of migration are putting unsustainable pressure on the NHS, schools and housing.

The Office for National Statistics said the increase in net migration has been driven by an increase in arrivals from outside of the EU.

Almost one million people from outside of the bloc arrived last year – up 120,000 from last year.

Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick is amongst those pushing for a tougher Government position on migrants.

He has drawn up a list of options to cut immigration, and the policies are now being considered by Downing Street.

Mr Jenrick wants to increase the salary threshold for a skilled worker visa to £35,000 and he wants to ban foreign health and social care workers from bringing dependents to the UK.

Fears are intensifying that failing to cut migration will lead to electoral oblivion in the next General Election.

Richard Tice, the leader of the Reform Party, vowed to “punish” the Conservatives and claimed he has been in talks with Tory MPs and ministers furious about the lack of action on migration.

He said: “I’m very happy to confirm that I’ve had numerous discussions with a number of Tory MPs, ministers, former ministers, who are absolutely furious with the complete betrayal of the Government’s promises, furious with the failure to stop the boats, furious with opening the borders to mass immigration.”

But Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Laura Trott, warned disenchanted Conservatives a vote for the Reform Party would hand Keir Starmer the keys to Downing Street.

She said: “A vote for Reform or any other party which is not Conservative is a vote for Keir Starmer as prime minister.”

“But what I would say is one of the reasons it’s so important for me to come on shows like yours is for us to communicate as a government what we are doing to stop the boats.”

Home Office minister Laura Farris denied Mr Cleverly is sceptical about the Rwanda scheme and dismissed claims of tension within the Home Office.

She said: “The Home Secretary described Rwanda as a really important part of our plan. I think the point that he was making is, it isn’t just Rwanda.”

“This enabled us to get the numbers down significantly, but I want to make absolutely clear that we see Rwanda as a very, very important element of our next strategy, which is you create a complete deterrent by removing the incentive to take those routes.”

“There is nothing that I have detected that suggests any schism in the Home Office.”

“I’ve only been in post for two weeks, but I’ve been to a couple of meetings related to this and I have detected complete cohesion on where we’re going next.”

“One of the things about the Supreme Court’s decision on Rwanda was that it was a focused criticism, it was completely centred on…the language adopted in the refugee convention, which means that Rwanda has placed people at risk historically of being returned to their country of origin before their asylum claim is determined.”

Asked if she was taking viewers for fools on immigration numbers, she told GB News: “I wouldn’t dream of taking your audience for fools actually. And I accept without reservation that the numbers are too high.”

“It is really important to look into the component parts of that rather than just presenting it as one single issue. There is definitely an issue with the numbers coming over and the numbers of dependents that they’re bringing.”

“And it is absolutely right, that the measures that we’re announcing or that are coming forward will look at that and will be directed at bringing overall numbers down.”

A senior Labour politician on Sunday claimed the party wants to limit migration to 200,000.

Shadow chief secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones was asked twice by the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg whether his party would seek to bring net migration down to normal levels within the first term of government.

He eventually replied: “I think we probably would hope to do that.

“The normal level is a couple of hundred thousand a year, but it depends on the needs in the economy.”

“And that’s why the really important question is – if there are lots of vacancies in the economy, why have we got people who are out of work in the UK who should be able to get training and skills and access to jobs that are in their area.”

“That’s why this is an abnormally high set of numbers especially in the health and social care system which reflects problems in the way the NHS is being run by the government.”