You have to be careful when talking about migration.
It can offer many benefits for a country but – and this comes with a huge caveat – it has to be the right kind.
Making this assertion should not lead to accusations of racism and the like, as it currently seems to.
The truth is I really don’t care where people come from as long as they contribute to this country in a positive way – and that we can deal with the numbers. And at the moment this definitely isn’t the case.
Anyone with a brain will tell you that getting a GP appointment is like a nightmarish Challenge Anneka mission, that councils are on their knees as they deal with soaring social care issues and there’s a housing crisis that means that many don’t get on the ladder until their 40s. Some never do.
Shocking figures released today show that we are sitting on a migration ticking time bomb and so it’s easy to see that things are only going to get worse. Much worse.
In fact, migration will be the only factor fuelling Britain’s population rise over the next decade. Some five million additional people will be living in the UK by 2032, taking the population to 72.5 million – mostly as a result of immigration.
Analysis shows migrants are coming from India, Nigeria, Pakistan, China and Zimbabwe, with these countries making up the top five nationalities from outside the EU – and recently the figure has soared due to a spike in non-EU workers and the introduction of the Ukraine and Hong Kong refugee visa schemes.
What impact has immigration had on towns like Middlesbrough, where I am a Conservative councillor? Middlesbrough actually has a proud history of welcoming immigration. The town’s rapid industrialisation attracted people from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and other countries to work in the ironworks which won the town its name Ironopolis.
But as we fast forward to the present day I can tell you that migration is not having such a positive impact on the town.
Our schools are grappling with huge difficulties as teachers try their best to converse with children in over 40 different languages. And the pressure on housing and GPs is no better.
And Middlesbrough is not alone.
So my message is a really simple one.
Please, please let’s deal with our own problems before rolling out the red carpet for others. If we don’t, fixing this country will be an impossible task.
