Nigel Farage warned immigration is “completely out of control” after new figures revealed 1.4 million visas were issued last year.
The statistics published by the Home Office show 1.395 million visas were granted to workers, students, family members, dependants and to those arriving via humanitarian routes.
The former Ukip leader said the Tories have told a “pack of lies” over immigration and have “failed”.
In a video posted on X, Mr Farage said: “So this morning we get the Home Office stats for migration in 2023.
“If you add up work visas, health care visas and study visas we issued last year 1.4 million visas.
“That number is completely out of control in every way.
“Add to that family reunions are up, the numbers granted asylum has trebled and you can see under this Conservative government all we’ve had is 14 years of total and utter lies.
“Lies at every single time there’s an election, every manifesto, it’s all a pack of lies.
“The population explosion in Britain is continuing and its bad effects on people’s lives just get worse and worse, they’ve failed.”
Former home secretary Suella Braverman added that the levels of immigration “cannot go on”.
She said: “1.4 million people were granted visas here last year. Asylum approvals at a record high.
“Work and student visa numbers, including many dependents, are appalling.
“This cannot go on: we don’t have enough homes, GPs or schools to support this level.
“The PM must adopt policies I pushed for that would have prevented this national disaster: we need a cap on overall numbers.
“Britain will be unrecognisable if this carries on. It’s not what the British people, including me, voted for.”
It comes as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is under pressure to get a grip on both legal and illegal migration.
