London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

PM refuses to commit to migration level pledge

PM refuses to commit to migration level pledge

The prime minister has refused to explicitly commit to a Conservative promise to get net migration levels below where they were four years ago.

The Tory manifesto before the general election in 2019 promised that "overall numbers will come down".

Net migration - the number of people moving to the UK minus the number who leave - was 226,000 in the year to March 2019.

In the year to June 2022, net migration hit an all-time high of 504,000.

The latest number, for the year to December 2022, will be published next week - and is widely expected to be higher still.

Speaking to reporters en route to the G7 Summit in Japan, Rishi Sunak said: "I've inherited some numbers, I want to bring the numbers down."

As the numbers climb, he is maintaining a desire that they fall, but not explicitly below the level they were at when the initial promise was made.

"When it comes to legal migration, the key thing for people to know is we're in control of why people are here, the circumstances and the terms on which they are here, making sure they contribute, to public services like the NHS for example," Mr Sunak said.

"Those are all now part of our migration system and they weren't before," he added, in reference to Brexit - which means immigration policy is now decided solely at Westminster.

There is some evidence that the importance attached to cutting immigration has fallen for some people since the UK left the European Union, suggesting control over it, as well as how much of it there is, does really matter to some.

As I have written about here, there is quite a discussion going on within government about how to respond to next week's new net migration figure.

Mr Sunak is travelling to Japan for the G7 summit in Hiroshima


I am told the prime minister has not yet looked at it in detail. But he is likely to in the coming days, ahead of a government announcement which is expected to include a restriction on the dependents some foreign students can bring with them when they come to the UK to study.

Strikingly, when pressed on his instincts on legal migration, the prime minister repeatedly changed the subject to talk about illegal immigration instead - small boat crossings.

"I do think most people's number one priority when it comes to migration is illegal migration, that is crystal clear to me," Mr Sunak said.

"That's why one of my five priorities is to stop the boats, that's why recently we have moved to a Covid-style committee structure where I am meeting twice a week with ministers to drive the implementation of the new bill," he added, referring to the Illegal Migration Bill.

He also pointed out what he believes is a significant breakthrough in helping to limit the number of small boats crossing the Channel.

At a meeting of the Council of Europe in Iceland on Tuesday, the European Union agreed to begin conversations about the UK having a cooperation agreement with Frontex, the European Border and Coastguard Agency.

There has been no such agreement since Brexit.

Such an agreement, Mr Sunak said, was "of practical value to us in stopping illegal migration - sharing intelligence, operational cooperation will make a difference to our ability to stop the boats."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
×