Blunders that let migrants flood in
IMMIGRATION to Britain has trebled in the past decade because of a series of disastrous Labour policies, a watchdog claims.
The failures on border controls, asylum and bogus marriages and the promotion of economic migration - particularly from Eastern Europe - has led to the biggest influx in British history, claims a report by MigrationWatchUK.
Sir Andrew Green, its chairman, says Government claims that the huge number of foreigners now in Britain is the result of increased globalisation is a "smokescreen".
Immigrants now make up 11 per cent of the population, almost double that of 1991.
Sir Andrew said: "We have reached a point where the Government can no longer turn a blind eye to public opinion with unemployment reaching two million and heading for three million."
In the report, How Did Immigration Get Out of Control?, he says the major increase in immigration has taken place since 1997.
He insisted it had not come about because of "world trends", but is the result of "a series of policy errors and the deliberate promotion of economic migration."
Last night critics said the report provided further evidence of Labour's failure on immigration.
Shadow Immigration Minister Damian Green said: "The evidence is now overwhelming that this government lost control of immigration in the early years.
"That's why we need a limit on the number allowed to work here."
The report names the dismantling of embarkation controls, firstly for EU destinations in 1994, then for the rest of the world in 1998, as the first step in the Government losing control.
This led former Home Secretary David Blunkett to admit he had "no idea" who was in the country.
The relaxation of the "primary purpose rule", which obliged applicants to prove a marriage was not being used as a way to get into Britain, has led to a 50 per cent increase in the immigration of spouses since 1997.
As applications rose dramatically from 1997 to a peak of 84,000 in 2002, there was a dramatic increase in the population, particularly when dependants are included. Failed asylum-seekers are still not always removed.
Labour has also encouraged economic migration, trebling the issue of work permits since 1997.
In addition came the Government's dramatic miscalculation of the number of migrant workers who would come to Britain after Eastern bloc countries Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovenia joined the EU.
This alone has added more than 1million to the UK population.
The report warns that immigration is set to drive a rapid population increase to 70 million in 2028 and 77 million by 2050.
A UK Border Agency spokeswoman said: "We have put in place the biggest shake-up of the immigration system in over a generation."
