Labour

Cameron failing on his immigration target to get net migration down to tens of thousands by the end of Parliament

Yvette Cooper MP, Labour's Shadow Home Secretary, responding to today's migration figures, said:

"The Tory-led Government is failing badly on its own immigration target to get net migration down to the tens of thousands by the end of this Parliament. David Cameron said 12 months ago, 'No ifs. No buts. That's a promise we made to the British people.’ Yet these figures show that promise is being broken and the net migration figure of 252,000 is barely changed in the last two years, even with the net rise in British citizens leaving the UK.
 
"Migration experts have said the Government does not have the policies to deliver on the target, so the Prime Minister is not being straight with the public on immigration. He should not make promises he can't keep on such an important policy area.
 
"The gap between this Tory-led Government’s rhetoric on immigration, and the reality, is getting ever wider. They are failing on border control, failing on illegal immigration, and failing to live up to the promises they made on net migration.
 
"The Government needs to be straight with people on its immigration policy, working for stronger border controls, strong controls on immigration and tough action on illegal immigration."