THE UK population has grown by 750,000 in a year – the equivalent to the size of Leeds, shock figures reveal.
The startling increase, in the year to June 2024, was driven almost entirely by international migration and recorded as the second largest rise since the 1940s.
Starmer has been slammed for not bringing down legal migration figures[/caption]
The UK’s population has increased by 750,000 in the past year – equivalent to the size of Leeds[/caption]
Sir Keir Starmer came under attack from critics over not making sweeping changes to bring down the legal migration numbers.
It comes as Reform UK this week attacked the Tories for the “Boriswave” which refers to the rise in migration figures in the post-Brexit settlement after January 2021 under Boris Johnson.
Migration Watch chairman Alp Mehmet said: “Our Prime Minister pays scant attention to these catastrophic levels of immigration and says nothing about how to reduce it.
“The public are not fooled by slogans and empty words. Sir Keir Starmer has to get serious and listen to what the public, including millions who used to vote Labour, are saying.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage MP said: “The Labour government are continuing the Boriswave and our lives are all getting poorer because of it. Only Reform will control our borders.”
Analysis of the figures also shows the population is estimated to have grown by 1.6 million in the two years to mid-2024.
The total population hit 69.3 million in the 12 months to June 2024 which was up from 68.5 million a year earlier, the Office of National Statistics said.
Some 1.2 million were estimated to have migrated to these shores but only 496,000 are likely to have emigrated, accounting for 98 per cent of the overall increase.
The figures also show 662,148 births ahead of 645,909 deaths in the year to June last year, adding just over 16,000 to population figures.
The increase of 755,254 is the second biggest year-on-year numerical jump since at least 1949.
It is behind only the rise of 890,049 that took place in the preceding 12 months up until mid-2023.
Sir Keir’s plans to bring down legal migration could reduce numbers by 100,000 per year by 2029.
Nigel Henretty of the ONS said: “The UK population has increased each year since mid-1982.
“Net international migration continues to be the main driver of this growth, continuing the long-term trend seen since the turn of the century.”
Figures also reveal the UK population grew by 4.7 million in the ten years to mid-2024, which is up by 7.2 per cent.
The UK population stood at 50.3 million in 1949 and took 19 years to reach 55 million and a further 37 years to hit 60 million, in 2005.
It then took ONLY 10 years to rise from 60 million to 65 million.
