Ilkley MP welcomes fall in immigration into the country (From Wharfedale Observer)

Ilkley MP welcomes fall in immigration into the country

9:00am Sunday 10th March 2013 in Local news

Ilkley MP Kris Hopkins has welcomed news that net immigration to the UK fell by 34 per cent or 84,000 to 163,000 in the year to June 2012. Net migration is the number of people coming to the country for 12 months or more set against the number emigrating.

The number of overseas students also fell by more than 40,000 with the figure for those coming from new EU states down more than 20,000 to 62,000 - the lowest figure since 2004.

Mr Hopkins said: “I stood for election on a Conservative manifesto which pledged to reduce immigration to this country from the hundreds of thousands a year to the tens of thousands by 2015.

“Significant progress has already been made and the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics show that a Conservative Home Secretary and a Conservative Immigration Minister are well on track to achieving the tough objective that was set. The previous Labour Government shamefully lost control of our borders and presided over a huge rise in immigration levels.”