Nigel Farage has warned mass migration is making “us poorer” in “every way”.
The Reform UK leader said the gloomy economic figures show migration is the only thing fuelling anaemic growth.
But GDP per “capita” – per person – is falling as more migrants are working in low-paid jobs, reducing the value of the economic output, Mr Farage said.
Speaking on GB News, He said: “Those of us that are slightly older remember when GDP growth was 2.5% to 3% every year and the world seemed fine.
“Now there is virtually no GDP growth whatsoever. The figures we got out today for the last quarter were utterly miserable, showing growth of 0.1%.
“But the really interesting thing is, what is GDP per capita? What is wealth? How do we measure it by the individual? And once again, it was down.
“Since the fourth quarter of 2022 GDP per capita has increased in two quarters, but fallen in six.
“We are getting poorer. And yet, it seems to me, the only way we get any GDP growth at all is through mass migration.
“Why? Because there are more people. So, the economy is that little bit bigger, and that’s what GDP measures. It measures the size overall of the productive economy.
“I think it’s becoming clearer that mass migration is making us poorer as a country in every way.
“Interestingly, since the mass migration experiment began, productivity has fallen as well.
“What we’ve learned is that the vast majority of those that have been coming in the last few years don’t work at all, and those that do, if they’re in low skill jobs overall, are going to cost the economy in the long run.”
Shocking projections have revealed migration will lead to another five million people living in the UK in just seven years.
The population will surge to 72.5 million – up from 67.6 million – by 2032, heaping more pressure on the NHS, housing, roads and schools.
Critics branded the crisis “the biggest issue that faces our country”, adding the “shocking and unacceptable” projection – by the Office for National Statistics – “must be stopped from materialising”.
Downing Street has rejected calls for an “arbitrary cap” on migrants coming to the UK.
Statisticians at the ONS have predicted net migration will settle at 340,000 per year from 2028.
But this could be higher, with current levels soaring at 728,000.
This is down from a record high of 906,000 in June 2023.
Migration will account for “the entirety of the population growth” as the difference between births and deaths is “projected to be around zero”.
Downing Street has said the Government will publish a plan to slash net migration this year.
It is currently focusing on boosting domestic skills shortages to prevent firms from relying on foreign labour.
