Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

Immigration and Nationality Statistics

18 December 2024 · 5 other contributors · 4,675 words

Opened by Nick Timothy Con West Suffolk

Responding minister: Seema Malhotra

Immigration

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Nick Timothy raised concerns about immigration and nationality statistics in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • Nick Timothy expresses concern about the failure of successive Prime Ministers to control immigration levels, which he believes impacts Britain's economy, capital stock, and cultural coherence.
  • Nick Timothy asks the Government to commission work to establish the true cost of immigration and to publish statistics on benefits claimants' immigration status, social housing occupation by nationality, and asylum status.
  • The Minister acknowledges an increase in net migration, noting it grew almost five times higher in four years under the previous Government compared to before the pandemic.

Key requests to Government

Nick Timothy asks the Government to commission work to establish the true cost of immigration broken down by profile of migrant and to publish statistics on benefits claimants' immigration status. He also requests data on social housing occupation by nationality and asylum status, and details about the Rwanda policy costs and discrepancies in Home Office figures.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Nick Timothy Con West Suffolk

Nick Timothy expresses concern about the failure of successive Prime Ministers to control immigration levels, which he believes undermines Britain's economy, capital stock, and cultural coherence. He highlights specific statistics showing the disproportionate use of social housing by certain nationalities and higher incarceration rates for others. Timothy also points out that low-paid immigrants incur significant long-term costs, including £250,000 per person for the state pension.

Other contributors (5)
  • Chris Murray Lab Edinburgh East and Musselburgh

    He criticises the previous Conservative government's failure to meet net migration targets and argues for a nuanced approach to understanding immigration's impacts on communities, rather than focusing solely on overall numbers.

  • Jim Shannon DUP Strangford

    Suggests there are two categories of immigrants: those fleeing persecution and economic migrants who should be stopped.

  • Julia Lopez Con Hornchurch and Upminster

    Acknowledges the work done by Neil O'Brien on data related to immigration, expresses concern over Labour Government's move away from provisions that prioritise British people for social housing.

  • Richard Tice Reform Boston and Skegness

    He is concerned about a lack of transparency in immigration statistics, suggesting that we need detailed data to assess the economic impact of immigrants by country.

  • Rupert Lowe Ind Great Yarmouth

    He calls for transparency and demands that the Home Office reveal statistics on crime, welfare claims, tax contributions, illegal populations, and public service usage by immigrants.

Government Response

Seema Malhotra

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Mundell. I thank the hon. Member for West Suffolk (Nick Timothy) and congratulate him on securing this important debate. The Minister acknowledges that the UK has experienced an increase in net migration, noting it grew almost five times higher in four years under the previous Government compared to before the pandemic. She highlights issues such as dangerous small boat crossings with a 120-fold increase from 300 people in 2018 to over 36,000 annually in recent years, and an asylum system cost increase by more than five times to £5.4 billion between 2019-20 and the last year. She affirms that the Home Office publishes extensive statistical information on migration regularly and remains committed to transparency and ensuring robust and accurate statistics for public and parliamentary debates. The Minister addresses specific points raised, including the breakdown of £700 million costs related to Rwanda partnership and the Illegal Migration Act 2023, which she asserts were inseparable. She outlines ongoing efforts such as establishing a new Border Security Command, building international partnerships, and disrupting criminal gang supply chains. Additionally, she notes a 21% increase in foreign criminals being removed from the UK compared to the same period last year.

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