UK Immigration Sees Dramatic Decline Amid New Government Measures

Just ten days ago, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to regain control over the nation's borders, cautioning that unchecked immigration might transform the country into an "island of strangers" rather than a united nation moving forward.

New government data released on Thursday indicates that net migration in the UK fell by almost 50 percent in 2024 compared to 2023, declining to 431,000. This suggests that the recent surge in immigration is slowing down and may be approaching its conclusion.

The contrast between Starmer’s stark rhetoric and the statistical reality highlights how immigration debates in the UK, often intensified by Brexit-related populism, can sometimes diverge from factual evidence.

The significant decrease in net migration largely stems from stricter immigration policies introduced by the previous Conservative government, which faced mounting pressure to curb the influx that accelerated after the UK’s departure from the European Union.

Those same pressures are now influencing Starmer’s Labour administration, which unveiled a series of new measures earlier this month aimed at tightening migration rules further and making it more challenging for new arrivals to secure permanent residency.

Sunder Katwala, director of British Future, a migration and integration research institute, observed that the previous government essentially provided Starmer with a "gift wrapped in a bow," noting that after failing to meet their own targets for reducing migration, they managed to lower numbers just in time for the current government to claim credit.