Immigration is now on an unprecedented scale … immigration will result in an increase in the population of the UK of 6 million in the 27 years from 2004 … the pressure on our borders continues. MigrationWatch UK

Introduction

For MigrationWatchUK, immigration is the source of Britain’s major problems. Their views are shared by others and their spokesperson consulted whenever immigration is in the news. The solution they campaign for is an annual limit so that immigration is no more than emigration. But is it really that straightforward? In a globalised world where travel is commonplace, shouldn’t we expect more migration and less rigid borders? Does Britain really take more immigrants than other countries? Is population growth because of immigration actually a problem? Is immigration in fact economically costly?

The sense that immigration and immigrants are a major problem permeates British culture and government thinking. The increase in immigration and the projected population increase reported in the quote above are not in dispute. Although we do take issue below with the accuracy of figures used in the debate, we also wish to investigate the claims that immigration poses a burden. The claims are that immigration must be limited because it is causing population growth and because it is changing the composition of the population to be more ethnically diverse. Both these impacts are seen by the pessimists to have detrimental impacts on the existing population (it is not usual to hear arguments, for example, that immigration is a bad thing because it is making our population more educated, which is indeed the case). The next chapter deals with the claims that increased cultural diversity is problematic. Here we address concerns about immigration causing population growth by asking whether Britain takes more than its fair share of immigrants and whether these immigrants are economically costly. The chapter ends with a study of claims made specifically by MigrationWatchUK.

The origins of the myth

Concern about overpopulation is longstanding and has not always been linked to immigration. It seems logical enough to be concerned that an increased population puts demands on a nation’s resources. This contention has been central to population debates for a long time. Underpopulation has also been a constant concern – from the threat that declining fertility posed for recruitment into 20th century armies, to the current alarm that a declining workforce will be insufficient to support the elderly population.