I blame record-high immigration on one man – Boris Johnson

Having campaigned for a Leave vote, the former PM believed in controlling migration, rather than reducing it, writes Sunder Katwala. It was a classic case of trying to have his cake and eat it

Just as the 2019 Conservative manifesto was going to print, a new line was added – that ‘overall numbers would fall’. Johnson reportedly told colleagues to ignore this (AFP via Getty Images)

Another set of record net migration figures – with 672,000 more people arriving than leaving the UK in the 12 months to June 2023 – is causing political headaches for Rishi Sunak.

Why is immigration so high? The new figures continue to be boosted by exceptional events and flows in 2022. The ONS calculate that net migration peaked at a record level of 745,000 in the year to December 2022 due to people coming from Ukraine and Hong Kong. But the main reason that immigration has risen rather than fallen during this parliament are the political and policy choices made by Boris Johnson’s government to liberalise non-EU immigration after Brexit.

So these net migration figures are the immigration consequences of Boris Johnson’s choices.