Doctors are threatening strike action after the government announced they would receive a 4 per cent pay rise.
The British Medical Association (BMA), the union representing doctors, said the pay rise does not go far enough in restoring historical pay freezes.
The National Education Union (NEU), the largest union for teachers, meanwhile threatened to “register a dispute” with the government unless it fully funds the 4 per cent pay rise for teachers, part of which is currently due to be covered by existing school budgets.
The pay increases, recommended by independent pay review bodies, are above the rate of inflation, which jumped to 3.5 per cent in April, up from 2.6 per cent in March and the highest since January 2024.
But Professor Philip Banfield, the BMA’s chairman of council, warned it was already considering strike action, as the union believes the pay rise does not do enough to restore doctors’ pay after previous salary freezes.
Elsewhere, most members of the armed forces will be given a 4.5 per cent pay rise; senior civil servants will get a 3.25 per cent pay rise; prison officers and managers are also set to get a 4 per cent pay rise; and judicial office holders, a group which includes judges, will also get a 4 per cent pay rise.
Key Points
- Net migration halves as fewer people come to UK for work and study
- Judge lifts injunction blocking deal to hand over Chagos islands
- Cleverly claims credit for migration drop
- Chemical castration considered for sex offenders to reduce re-offending
- Fewer criminals to serve jail time under proposals to end prison overcrowding
Which public sector workers are getting a pay rise?
15:57
,
Jabed Ahmed
- NHS doctors: 4 per cent
- Teachers: 4 per cent
- Other NHS workers (nurses, midwives and physiotherapists): 3.6 per cent
- Armed forces: 4.5 per cent
- Senior members of the military: 3.75 per cent
- Senior civil servants: 3.25 per cent
- Prison officers and managers: 4 per cent
- Judicial office holders, a group which includes judges: 4 per cent
Chagos Islands deal will cost the UK £3.4 billion, Says Starmer
15:35
,
Jabed Ahmed
The deal with Mauritius over the Chagos Islands will cost the UK £3.4 billion overall, Sir Keir Starmer said.
Speaking as he signed a deal to hand over the islands, the Prime Minister said: “£101 million a year is the average cost. The net overall cost is therefore £3.4 billion overall. That’s over the 99 years.
“The average £100 million per year is about the same, or slightly less than, the running cost of an aircraft carrier, minus the aircraft.
“Now, given the significance of this facility, both the geography and the capability, you can see that as, again, measured against an aircraft carrier running costs that this is very good value for money.
“I should also say that is very similar to arrangements made by other allies, the US and France in relation to the bases that they lease and make arrangements for as well.”
He earlier told the audience at the handover that the base on Diego Garcia is essential for a range of UK defence matters, including anti-terror operations, telecommunications and its deep water port.
Teachers and doctors threaten strike action after 4% pay rise announcement
15:29
,
Jabed Ahmed
Both teachers and doctors are threatening strike action, after ministers announced they would receive a 4 per cent pay rise following the latest review of public sector pay.
The British Medical Association (BMA), the union representing doctors, said the pay rise does not go far enough in restoring historical pay freezes.
The National Education Union (NEU), the largest union for teachers, meanwhile threatened to “register a dispute” with the Government unless it fully funds the pay rise for teachers, part of which is currently due to be covered by existing school budgets.
Both professions in England will receive a 4% increase, according to statements released by ministers on Thursday afternoon, while other NHS workers will get 3.6 per cent.
NHS staff in Wales are also likely to be given the same pay award, as the Welsh Government has accepted the same recommendations.
The increases, recommended by independent pay review bodies, are above the rate of inflation, which jumped to 3.5 per cent in April, up from 2.6 per cent in March and the highest since January 2024.
But Professor Philip Banfield, the BMA’s chairman of council, warned it was already considering strike action, as the union believes the pay rise does not do enough to restore doctors’ pay after previous salary freezes.
“Doctors’ pay is still around a quarter less than it was in real terms 16 years ago and today’s ‘award’ delays pay restoration even more, without a Government plan or reassurance to correct this erosion of what a doctor is worth,” he said.
Starmer signs Chagos Islands deal
15:14
,
Jabed Ahmed
Sir Keir Starmer is speaking on the Chagos Island deal after a high court judge cleared the way for the government to sign it.
The deal, which would see Britain give up sovereignty of the island territory to Mauritius and lease back a crucial military base there, was due to be signed on Thursday morning but was temporarily blocked by an injunction hours before.
Mr Justice Goose granted an injunction at 2.25am against the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) for “interim relief” to Bertrice Pompe, one of two British women born on the Chagos Islands who is set to bring legal action against the Government over the deal.
After an urgent hearing on Thursday, Mr Justice Chamberlain said the injunction should be discharged.
Migration in numbers: Who is coming to the UK and why?
15:13
,
Jabed Ahmed
Our Data Correspondent Alicja Hagopian reports:
Analysis | ‘Tough on crime’ politics has not made us safer – the prisons crisis has forced a rethink
14:56
,
Amy-Clare Martin, Crime Correspondent
Britain is facing the biggest overhaul to sentencing and criminal justice in a generation as the government accepts a string of recommendations to ease prison overcrowding.
It comes after prisons once again came within months of running out of space entirely, risking the “total breakdown of law and order” which would leave police unable to make arrests and courts unable to send offenders to custody, justice secretary Shabana Mahmood warned last week.
While the overcrowding crisis may have forced her hand, many working in the criminal justice sector would argue these types of reforms are long overdue, but the “tough on crime” narrative which has pervaded British politics and media commentary in recent decades has left successive governments unwilling to act.
Read the full analysis below:
Highest number of daily small boats arrivals this year
14:41
,
Jabed Ahmed
Some 825 migrants arrived in the UK on Wednesday after crossing the English Channel, according to provisional figures from the Home Office.
It is the highest number of arrivals on a single day so far this year.
The cumulative number of arrivals by small boats in 2025 now stands at a provisional total of 13,573.
This is 37% higher than at the same point last year, when the total stood at 9,882, and 86% higher than at this stage in 2023, when the total was 7,297.
There were 13 boats that arrived on Wednesday, which suggests an average of around 63 people per boat.
The record for the highest number of arrivals on a single day is 1,305, which took place on September 3 2022.
Teaching unions are not happy with the government's pay rise
14:38
,
Jabed Ahmed
The largest education union in the UK has threatened to “register a dispute” with the government unless it fully funds the pay rise for teachers.
Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), said: “Whilst we acknowledge and welcome additional funding to that initially offered by government, it is still the case that the pay award is not fully funded.
“In many schools this will mean cuts in service provision to children and young people, job losses, and additional workloads for an already overstretched profession.”
He added: “Unless the Government commit to fully funding the pay rise then it is likely that the NEU will register a dispute with the Government on the issue of funding, and campaign to ensure every parent understands the impact of a cut in the money available to schools, and that every politician understands this too.”
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union the NAHT, said school leaders are “concerned” about the affordability of the pay rise for teachers which is not fully funded by the government.
“The news that the schools will be receiving additional funding to help cover some of the costs is welcome, but they will remain concerned that they will still need to find a proportion from within their existing budget allocations,” he added.
Tax rises ‘feel inevitable’ after jump in Government borrowing
14:24
,
Jabed Ahmed
Tax increases from the Chancellor later this year “feel inevitable”, economists have said after UK Government borrowing jumped last month.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said public sector net borrowing rose to £20.2 billion, its fourth-highest April figure on record, mounting further pressure on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to meet her fiscal rules.
Economists have said the increased deficit, plans to increase defence spending and the U-turn on winter fuel payments could indicate future tax rises are needed to balance the state finances in the longer term.
Ruth Gregory, deputy chief UK economist at Capital Economics, said: “April’s public finances figures showed that despite the boost from the rise in employers’ national insurance (NI) contributions, the fiscal year got off to a poor start.
“With the PM announcing a partial U-turn on the cut to winter fuel payments, the dilemma faced by the Chancellor over how to deal with increased spending pressures in an environment of low economic growth and high interest rates hasn’t gone away.
“With the markets seemingly uneasy about more public borrowing, further tax rises are starting to feel inevitable.”
Matt Swannell, chief economic adviser to the EY Item Club, said higher borrowing and pressure from US tariff plans on economic growth could “more than eliminate the slim headroom” against the rules.
He said: “A potential reversal of winter fuel payment cuts and the likelihood that defence spending will need to rise again will make the fiscal arithmetic even more challenging and increase the pressure to generate more revenue through tax rises.”
Comment | Well done, Rishi – you handed Keir Starmer his immigration ‘win’ on a plate
14:09
,
Jabed Ahmed
Read the full Voices article from our chief political commentator John Rentoul:
SNP calls on Labour to remove two-child benefit cap
13:51
,
Jabed Ahmed
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has asked if the Government will U-turn on its “heinous” two-child benefit cap.
He told MPs: “‘Cruel and a policy that sees the third child treated almost as a second class citizen’, not my phrasing, but that of Gordon Brown in describing the Labour Party’s two-child benefit cap, and it is the Labour Party’s two-child benefit cap, because they went through the voting lobbies to retain it just last year.
“Now in Scotland, we know the SNP is going to be scrapping the two-child benefit cap, but based upon (Sir Keir Starmer’s) U-turn yesterday in respect of the winter fuel limits, I was wondering whether the Leader of the House can advise us whether another one is likely in respect of this heinous policy?”
Leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell replied: “This Labour Government, like the last Labour government, is absolutely determined to reduce child poverty in this country, and we will be judged on our actions over the course of this Parliament, whether we are reducing child poverty or not, and it’s something we are determined to do.
“So I thank him for his advice, and I thank the former prime minister Gordon Brown, who I greatly respect, for his advice as well. But our child poverty strategy will be coming out later this summer, and he’ll have ample opportunity to discuss that then.”
Breaking: Teachers and doctors granted pay rise, ministers announce
13:32
,
Barney Davis
Teachers and doctors in England will be given a 4% pay rise, and other NHS workers a 3.6% rise, ministers have announced following the latest review of public sector pay.
Armed forces granted huge pay rise
13:23
,
Barney Davis
Most members of the armed forces will be given a 4.5% pay rise, John Healey has announced, while senior members of the military will receive a 3.75% rise.
The Defence Secretary said the Government was accepting in full the recommendations on military pay from review bodies.
In a written statement, Mr Healey said: “Accepting these recommendations, represents an annual increase of £2,100 in the nominal ‘average’ salary in the Armed Forces as well as an annual increase of £1,500 in the starting salary for an officer.”
£700m boost for probation service under Labour plans
13:18
,
Barney Davis
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has confirmed a huge funding boost to tag more criminals.
In a statement to the Commons, she said: “In the second part of the progression model, offenders will enter a period of intensive supervision. This will see more offenders tagged and close management from probation. The Government will therefore significantly increase its funding.
“By the final year of the spending review period an annual £1.6 billion will rise by up to £700 million, allowing us to tag and monitor tens of thousands more offenders.
“If offenders do not comply with the conditions of their release, the sentencing review has suggested that recall to prison should be capped at 56 days.
Economic impact of migration fall likely to be relatively small, says expert
13:18
,
Jabed Ahmed
The Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford said the “record-breaking decline” in net migration was possible “primarily because numbers had previously been so high”.
Its director, Dr Madeleine Sumption, said the economic impact of the fall “is actually likely to be relatively small” because “the groups that have driven the decline, such as study and work dependants, are neither the highest skilled, highest-paid migrants who make substantial contributions to tax revenues, nor the most disadvantaged groups that require substantial support”.
Her colleague Dr Ben Brindle, a researcher at the organisation, said net migration is likely to fall further still as the Conservative government’s restrictions “are not yet fully visible in the data” and Labour’s recent policy proposals “should reduce migration further”.
But he added: “These declines will not necessarily take us to particularly low levels, by historical standards.”
Shabana Mahmood not 'squeamish' about chemical castration
13:11
,
Barney Davis
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she is not “squeamish” about pursuing a rollout of chemical castration for sex offenders.
Responding to Labour MP for Warrington North, Charlotte Nichols’ push for an estimate on success of the treatment, Ms Mahmood replied: “The studies that exist show a 60% reduction in offending, she is right to say that for this subset of offenders, for some the offending relates to power, but for another subset of offenders the combination of chemical suppressants and psychological interventions can, we believe, have a big and positive impact.
“For many years there’s a pilot that has been trundling along and nobody has shown much interest in it including any of my predecessors. Tory justice secretaries have just let it carry on. I’m not willing to do that. I’m not squeamish about taking these further measures.
“It’s why we’re going to have a national rollout of this programme. I will make sure that that is what happens. It’s why I’m starting with expanding it to two further regions, including prisoners in 20 further prisons, so that we can build the evidence base and make sure that we are using every tool at our disposal that can cut reoffending.”
UK deal to hand over Chagos Islands to Mauritius can go ahead, judge rules
13:07
,
Millie Cooke
The UK government’s deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius can go ahead, the High Court has ruled, after campaigners brought a last minute legal challenge overnight.
The deal, which would see Britain give up sovereignty of the island territory to Mauritius and lease back a crucial military base there, was due to be signed on Thursday morning but was temporarily blocked by an injunction hours before.
Our lobby team reports on this breaking news:
Nearly 2,000 Afghan children living in hotels, military bases and other temporary accommodation in UK
13:05
,
Barney Davis
The number of people being brought to the UK under the Afghan schemes is on the rise. Data shows that there were 7,736 people resettled in the year ending March 2025, a 17 per cent increase on the previous year.
Holly Bancroft reports:
What nationality are the people coming to the UK?
12:58
,
Jabed Ahmed
This is a major change from the pattern before the UK had left the European Union and also before the Covid-19 pandemic.
In 2019, non-EU+ nationals accounted for 47% of total immigration, while EU+ nationals made up 44% and British nationals 9%.
There were 766,000 non-EU+ nationals who immigrated to the UK in 2024, of which 83% were of working age (between 16 and 64), 16% were children and 1% were aged 65 or over.
The top five most common countries of nationality were:
- Indian (156,000 people, down year-on-year from 277,000)
- Pakistani (76,000, down from 94,000)
- Chinese (70,000, down from 77,000)
- Nigerian (52,000, down from 165,000)
- Ukrainian (23,000, down from 40,000)
Judge returns to courtroom to give Chagos Islands judgement
12:48
,
Barney Davis
Mr Justice Chamberlain has returned to the High Court to give his judgement over whether to continue the injunction that's blocking the government from completing its negotiations over the Chagos Islands.
Earlier, shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: "The government should tear up its plans to surrender the Chagos Islands.
"This is a disgraceful surrender of British sovereignty."
Ministers still preparing for Chagos deal to go ahead today despite legal wrangling
12:45
,
Millie Cooke
The Independent understands the government is preparing for the Chagos Islands deal to still go ahead this afternoon, despite a late legal challenge to the deal.
Ministers had initially planned to sign the deal this morning, which would give Mauritius sovereignty over the islands. But a late legal challenge from a Chagossian saw High Court judge Sir Julian Goose put a pause on the treaty being signed at 3am following hours of legal wrangling.
A Downing Street spokesperson said any attempt to hold up the deal is a threat to national security, saying the deal is "critical" to protect British interests.
Lib Dems appalled by Robert Jenric 'playing politics' with domestic violence
12:45
,
Barney Davis
Liberal Democrats justice spokesman Josh Babarinde hit out at Robert Jenrick for playing politics with victims of domestic abuse after he accused Labour of giving criminals discounts in their sentence “so big they’d make Aldi and Lidl blush”.
Jenrick ended his speech to MPs by labelling Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s statement as “radical, terrible changes made today, cloaked in necessity”.
Mr Babarinde told MPs: “And something that must be said is that it is absolutely appalling that the shadow Justice Secretary (Robert Jenrick) has tried to play politics with domestic abuse.”
What has caused the latest drop in net migration?
12:37
,
Jabed Ahmed
It is the result of changes both in the number of people coming to the UK (immigrating) and those leaving the country (emigrating).
The drop in immigration has been driven by a fall in the number of non-EU+ nationals coming to the UK to work and study.
Non-EU+ nationals refers to people who are not from the European Union or from Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.
There was a 49% decrease in 2024 in non-EU+ nationals arriving in the UK as the main applicant on a work visa, along with a 35% fall in those coming as work dependants.
The number of non-EU+ nationals arriving as main applicants on a study visa dropped by 17%, while there was a much larger fall of 86% in study dependants.
These decreases are likely to reflect changes in migration rules introduced in early 2024 by the previous Conservative government, which included restricting the ability of most international students to bring family members.
Total long-term immigration in 2024 fell below one million for the first time in a calendar year since 2021, with an estimated 948,000 people coming to live in the UK in the 12 months to December, down 29% from a record 1.33 million in 2023.
At the same time, long-term emigration has risen, with 517,000 people leaving the UK in 2024, up from 466,000 in 2023.
This rise in emigration has been driven by an increase in those who originally came to the UK on study-related visas and who are now reaching the end of their courses.
The majority (61%) of non-EU+ nationals who left the UK in 2024 had originally arrived for study-related reasons.
Shabana Mahmood accuses Tories of doing a 'runner' by calling an election rather than build new prisons
12:33
,
Barney Davis
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has accused the Conservatives of doing a “runner” on prisons in a fiery debate in the Commons.
Responding to Conservative shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick, Ms Mahmood told the Commons: “If his government that he was a part of had ever been serious, they would have built more than 500 prison places in 14 years in office. He is a new convert to the prison building cause.”
She later added: “He talked about iron bars, but he was part of a government that did not build the prison places that this country needs. Unlike him, I take responsibility, and it has fallen to me to clean up the mess he and his party left behind.
“Let me spell out for him in case there is any confusion of what happens when he and his party leave our prison system on the brink of collapse, which is exactly what they did, and the prospect that faced me on day one when I walked into the justice department.
“When prisons are on the verge of collapse, you basically only really have two choices left at your disposal – you either shut the front door in or you have to open the back door out.”
Ms Mahmood continued: “Did they make any decisions? No, they just decided to call an election instead. They did a runner and the public put them in their current position, and if they ever want to get out of that position, I would suggest they start by reckoning with the reality of their own track record in office.”
Starmer not worried about worker shortages following migration drop, No10 says
12:24
,
Jabed Ahmed
Sir Keir Starmer is not worried about a potential workforce shortage after the biggest fall in net migration since the pandemic, Downing Street said.
The prime minister’s official spokesman indicated there were no concerns about workforce shortages, adding: “We are, for the first time, setting out a strategy to properly bring together a domestic skills strategy together with an immigration strategy.
“So we will be reducing our reliance on overseas labour by training up our domestic workforce and ensuring, as the public rightly expects, that our border system is secure.”
He would not be drawn on whether the previous government should be thanked for the drop in migration.
Asked how much further the Government might go, he said: “Under this Government, the number of visa applications has already fallen by 40% but we want to go further, and we expect the number of low-skilled visas to fall by 50,000 over the next year, with up to 100,000 fewer visas a year issued by the end of this Parliament.”
Asked if the government would be setting a target, he said: “We’re not setting a target for all the reasons that we’ve set out previously, where previous governments have set arbitrary targeting caps, they failed to deliver on them.”
Why did migration rise to record levels?
12:21
,
Jabed Ahmed
Several factors were behind the recent increase.
The war in Ukraine led to thousands of people from that country coming to live in the UK through the Government’s resettlement schemes.
A similar scheme has seen British nationals arriving in the UK from Hong Kong, fleeing the security crackdown by the Chinese government.
Pent-up demand for study-related immigration due to Covid-19 travel restrictions also had an impact.
There was a steep jump in the number of international students coming to the UK in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic in 2021 and 2022.
A further factor has been the changes to the UK’s immigration system.
The post-Brexit introduction of new visas for specific kinds of employment – such as the skilled worker visa and the health and care worker visa – boosted the number of people immigrating to the UK for work.
How has migration changed in recent years?
12:09
,
Jabed Ahmed
Levels of net migration to the UK have varied sharply.
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 208,000 in 2017, 276,000 in 2018 and 184,000 in 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 93,000 in 2020, when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose steeply to 484,000 in 2021 and 873,000 in 2022, before dropping slightly to 860,000 in 2023.
The 12 months to June 2023 saw net migration hit a record 906,000.
The new estimate of 431,000 for the year to December 2024 suggests levels are returning to those seen in the early years of the pandemic.
Lib Dem justice spokesman marks a very personal victory
12:06
,
David Maddox
Josh Babarinde, the Lib Dem justice spokesman, was a very happy man amid a tetchy Commons debate today – because of a personal victory the sentencing review has brought about.
Mr Babarinde campaigned hard for a change in the law to ensure that domestic abuse was registered for the first time in British law.
Until now while individual crimes such as assault and sexual attacks are criminal offences they were never connected to domestic abuse and there was not a specific domestic abuse crime.
From now on if a crime is part of sexual abuse it has to be flagged and registered in the sentencing stage. It means that when it comes to early release the prison system can identify domestic abusers.
For Mr Babarinde this is the end of a long road where he as a child experienced and witnessed the domestic abuse of his mother from her former partner.
Chemical castration of sex offenders to be piloted in 20 prisons, says Mahmood
12:05
,
Jabed Ahmed
A national rollout covering 20 prisons will pilot the use of medication to suppress the sex drive of sex offenders, the Justice Secretary has confirmed.
The Government is exploring whether to enforce the chemical castration on offenders as mandatory, Shabana Mahmood told MPs, after recommendations from the independent sentencing review to explore its use further to reduce the risk of reoffending.
The review led by former justice secretary David Gauke recommended reforms to overhaul the prisons system and make sure there is space to jail the most dangerous offenders after a string of emergency measures to deal with the capacity crisis.
In a statement to the Commons, Ms Mahmood said: “The review has recommended we continue a pilot of so-called medication to manage problematic sexual arousal.
“I will go further with a national rollout, beginning in two regions covering 20 prisons.
“And I am exploring whether mandating the approach is possible.
“Of course, it is vital that this approach is taken alongside psychological interventions that target other causes of offending, like asserting power and control.”
Robert Jenrick asked to tone it down by the Speaker
11:54
,
David Maddox
Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has had to remind Robert Jenrick to tone down his language as he works up fury over the prison reforms.
The Tory shadow justice secretary is reading out “dangerous” criminals who received short sentences for smashing people’s jaws, sexual assault, multiple shoplifting and will now be released even earlier.
He scoffs at the idea of “digital prisons”.
“Tags are not iron bars,” he said.
He accuses Labour of being “ideologically opposed to prisons”.
Home secretary hails drop in migration
11:52
,
Jabed Ahmed
Home secretary Yvette Cooper has hailed the drop in net migration.
She said: “The 300,000 drop in net migration since the election is important and welcome after the figures quadrupled to nearly a million in the last Parliament.
“Our Immigration White Paper sets out radical reforms to further reduce net migration.
“These figures show a big increase in returns of failed asylum seekers and foreign national offenders, record levels of illegal working penalties, and the asylum backlog and hotel use coming down.
“We are going even further by introducing new counter-terrorism style powers to boost our border security and smash the people smuggling gangs responsible for their vile trade."
Shabana Mahmood rejecting some of the more liberal parts of Gauke’s proposals
11:50
,
David Maddox
The justice secretary is making her statement on the sentencing review headed by former Tory minister David Gauke.
It is clear pretty quickly in her statement that she has rejected some of the more liberal elements of his plans to release prisoners early.
Shabana Mahmood will not agree to an upper limit on sentences for offenders who behave badly in prison which Gauke had suggested at 75 per cent.
She has also rejected proposals to allow dangerous prisoners with extended provisions out of prison early.
Ms Mahmood is also clear that she is pleased Gauke has not proposed the complete abolition of sentences under 12 months.
Nevertheless, she has to bring the number of prisoners down to tackle the overcrowding crisis.
Only 10% of public expected migration to fall, poll shows
11:49
,
Jabed Ahmed
Only 10 per cent of people in Britain were expecting net migration to fall, while six in ten (58%) expected it to increase, according to a poll by think tank British Future.
Around 28 per cent of the British public expected the numbers to remain about the same, the poll found.
Sunder Katwala, Director of British Future, said: “This significant fall in net migration will surprise 90% of the public, who expected numbers to keep going up.
“So Keir Starmer is in the unusual position for a PM of having exceeded expectations on immigration – though largely by not cancelling measures introduced by his predecessors.
“That gives him an opportunity to take a more pragmatic approach, managing the pressures and keeping the gains of immigration – rather than competing in a political auction over which party can pretend to eliminate it.”
Tories say net migration still too high
11:34
,
Jabed Ahmed
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp has said net migration came down thanks to measures put in place by the last government.
Writing on X, he added: “But it is still far too high and needs to go down further. That is why we need a binding annual immigration cap, set by Parliament - at much, much lower levels.”
“But when we Conservatives tabled that plan, Labour voted against it last week and again yesterday.”
In a reply to his post, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said: “A reminder that the moment Labour got in, they SCRAPPED the tough measures we took to get these numbers down.
“Numbers are still too high, and Starmer STILL keeps voting against every plan to bring them down further.
“Only the Conservatives can fix immigration.”
Angela Rayner wanted migrant benefits cut in latest pushback against Reeves, leaked memo suggests
11:19
,
Jabed Ahmed
Our Political Editor David Maddox reports:
Starmer must strike balance between migration controls and boosting public services, think tank warns
11:04
,
Archie Mitchell
Sir Keir Starmer must strike a “careful balance” between cutting migration and supporting Britain’s ailing public services, Sir Tony Blair’s old favourite think tank has warned.
The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said the prime minister will have to be particularly careful with further restrictions on care visas, or risk exacerbating the workforce crisis in the sector.
Director of migration, trade and communities Marley Morris said: “Net migration has fallen sharply from its post-pandemic high, easing the way considerably for the government’s efforts to bring down numbers.
“Following last week’s immigration white paper, the government will now need to carefully balance managing overall levels of migration with its ambitions to grow the economy and repair public services.”
Analysis: Is Cleverly the real winner from net migration fall?
10:51
,
Archie Mitchell, Political Correspondent
Sir Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper will feel buoyed by Thursday’s immigration figures - confirming net migration fell by half last year.
But the real winner from the announcement may just be James Cleverly.
The figures relate to the last year the Conservatives spent in power, and the fall in net migration is a result of measures Mr Cleverly introduced as home secretary.
After falling short in last year’s contest to replace Rishi Sunak as Tory leader, the figures will give Mr Cleverly a major boost among his colleagues as speculation about Kemi Badenoch’s future mounts.
It is thought she could be replaced before the next general election, and being able to claim credit for one of the few positive changes made in the dying days of the Tories’ 14 year term will do no harm to Mr Cleverly’s pitch to be the one taking over.
Cleverly claims credit for migration drop
10:39
,
Jabed Ahmed
James Cleverly has claimed credit after net migration fell by half last year, highlighting “changes I made that Labour opposed at the time”.
The Tory former home secretary said: “of course, they will try to claim credit for these figures, but the simple truth is that they are doing less and hoping they will get better results”.
In a social media video, Mr Cleverly said: “They can't just rely on work that the Conservatives did when we were in government, and they are failing to take action on things like illegal migration. So figures today are good news, but there's still a lot of work to be done by this Labour Government.”
10:31
,
Jabed Ahmed
Emigration close to levels seen before pandemic
10:08
,
Jabed Ahmed
The drop in net migration is the result of changes in the number of people immigrating to (arriving) and emigrating from (leaving) the UK.
Long-term immigration in 2024 fell below one million for the first time in a calendar year since 2021, with an estimated 948,000 people coming to live in the UK in the 12 months to December, down 29% from a record 1.33 million in 2023.
At the same time, long-term emigration has risen, with 517,000 people leaving the UK in 2024, up from 466,000 in 2023.
Emigration is now close to levels seen before the pandemic.
The rise in emigration has been driven by an increase in those who originally came to the UK on study-related visas and who are now reaching the end of their courses.
The majority (61%) of non-EU+ nationals who left the UK in 2024 had originally arrived for study-related reasons.
10:05
,
Jabed Ahmed
Fall in net migration driven by drop in people coming to work and study
09:52
,
Jabed Ahmed
The fall in net migration has been driven by a drop in the number of people coming to the UK to work and study, the ONS said.
There was a 49% decrease in 2024 in the number of non-EU+ nationals arriving in the UK as the main applicant on a work visa, along with a 35% fall in those coming as work dependants.
The number of non-EU+ nationals arriving as main applicants on a study visa dropped by 17%, while there was a much larger fall of 86% in study dependants.
The drop is likely to reflect changes in migration rules introduced in early 2024 by the previous Conservative government, which included restricting the ability of most international students to bring family members.
Non-EU+ nationals refers to people who are not from the European Union or from Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.
Breaking: Net migration halved last year
09:32
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Jabed Ahmed
Estimated net migration to the UK stood at a provisional 431,000 in the year to December 2024, down 50% from 860,000 in the year to December 2023, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
This is the largest numerical drop on record.
The previous biggest calendar year fall was during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, when net migration dropped from 184,000 in the year ending December 2019 to 93,000 in the year ending December 2020.
Net migration is the difference between the number of people coming to live in the UK long
