THE TELEGRAPH: There are nearly three quarters of a million illegal immigrants in Britain, research has suggested.
A study by the London School of Economics suggests that the number of people living in the UK without permission is much higher than previously thought.
The last official estimate of illegal immigration, a Home Office report in 2001, put the figure at 430,000.
Because of the nature of illegal immigration, accurately charting numbers is difficult. The LSE team said the figure lies somewhere between 524,000 and 947,000, with a "midpoint" figure of 725,000.
The LSE study was commissioned by Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, who is advocating a form of amnesty for illegal immigrants, something both the Government and the Conservative Party leadership oppose.
Many illegal immigrants work without paying taxes. Mr Johnson said that it is not realistic to try to find and expel all illegal immigrants, so it is better to try to bring them into the system and make them pay taxes.
"What I am trying to get people to recognise is that there are limits to what the policy to expulsions is able to achieve at the moment. Failing that, and it is failing, we need to think of a better alternative," Mr Johnson told the BBC. >>> | Monday, March 9, 2009
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback & Hardback) – Free delivery >>>
