Following the Office for National Statistics publication that the estimate for net migration in the year to June 2023 was at 672,000, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown tells the Government these figures are unsustainable and asks the Minister when we will see a drop in numbers.
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (The Cotswolds) (Con)
These figures were, I regret to say, entirely predictable, and they are unsustainable: they put too much pressure on our public services. My constituents want to know—and we have been talking about this for years—when they will see a drop in the numbers.
The Minister for Immigration (Robert Jenrick)
According to the Office for National Statistics, the figures are starting to fall—although the ONS’s methodology itself keeps moving around, so one has to treat that with a degree of scepticism. It is now critical, to my mind, that we introduce a set of fundamental reforms. The time for tinkering is over, and I hope that the package that the Prime Minister, the Home Secretary and I will put together in the coming weeks will meet the expectations of my hon. Friend.