DAILY MAIL COMMENT: Now honour voters over migration boom

DAILY MAIL COMMENT: Now honour voters over migration boom

Since time immemorial, Britain has proudly thrown open its arms to migrants.

Overwhelmingly, they have been upstanding citizens who have made a valuable contribution to our economy and society.

But new figures expose the staggering scale of demographic change since Tony Blair cynically threw open the UK’s borders to all comers – an affront to democracy because no one was consulted.

One in six people now living in England and Wales was born overseas, census data reveals. In a decade, the foreign-born population has leapt 2.5million to 10million.

Ministers must stop migrants exploiting visa loopholes such as foreign students bringing in family. And they must do more to tackle illegal Channel migrants. A Border Force boat is seen above bringing migrants to Dover in May after rescuing them

Overwhelmingly, they have been upstanding citizens who have made a valuable contribution to our economy and society. But new figures expose the staggering scale of demographic change since Tony Blair cynically threw open the UK’s borders to all comers – an affront to democracy because no one was consulted

These numbers are jaw-dropping. Influxes on such a vast scale place huge pressure on public services, while fuelling concerns about social cohesion. It was partly in the hope of gaining control over who came here that people voted for Brexit. Yet even though EU free movement has ended, net migration remains at near-record levels.

Of course, we want to attract the brightest and the best from around the world. That helps our economy flourish and drives prosperity. But patient lists at GP surgeries are oversubscribed, classrooms are full to bursting and there are not enough houses.

Ministers must stop migrants exploiting visa loopholes such as foreign students bringing in family. And they must do more to tackle illegal Channel migrants.

Ours is a welcoming but small island. While net migration remains unconscionably high, the population boom risks becoming wholly unsustainable.

Time for NHS reform

Like high priests serving some insatiable pagan deity, health bosses demand ever greater sacrifices to the NHS.

Record sums of public money have been crammed into the health service’s maw. And still it hungers for more.

With wearying predictability, chief executive Amanda Pritchard yesterday called for another £7billion.

Record sums of public money have been crammed into the health service’s maw. And still it hungers for more. The PM is pictured visiting a London hospital last week

Taxpayers, braced for further crippling tax rises, might reasonably ask: Where has all the money gone? Yes, winter looms and the NHS is again in crisis, with seven million patients on waiting lists for treatment.

But the behemoth can surely make savings – starting by scrapping diversity managers. When even Labour warns of the need for reform, isn’t it time the NHS took the hint?

Embarrassing U-turn

Rishi Sunak had a perfectly valid reason for declining to attend the Cop27 climate summit in Egypt. The Prime Minister has a mountain of problems to tackle at home, not least cleaning up the financial mess.

And what would such virtue-signalling achieve? We are already represented by ministers who will spell out how this country leads the world on environmental targets.

How depressing, then, that pilloried by a hysterical Left and a hostile BBC, Mr Sunak has performed a screeching U-turn.

He is meant to be running a grown-up Government – not undermining his own authority by changing course at the first whiff of criticism.

The Devil’s bargain

Barring a colossal shock, the Bank of England will today hike interest rates again, inflicting more pain on homeowners. Millions face monthly mortgage repayments soaring by hundreds of pounds.

The trouble is, a more pernicious enemy is rampant inflation, which eats away at income and savings – and costs more in the long run. Yet the inflation genie can’t be stuffed back into the bottle without bumping up interest rates.

This truly is a Devil’s bargain. Families are already suffering because of Bank governor Andrew Bailey’s past timidity.

Today, he should grasp the nettle. Better to end the misery sooner rather than later.

Barring a colossal shock, the Bank of England will today hike interest rates again, inflicting more pain on homeowners. Millions face monthly mortgage repayments soaring by hundreds of pounds

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