As we head into an election where migration is likely to be a key issue, the statistics – which have always been a bit of a headache to untangle – can still feel pretty confusing. New data shows that in the year ending 2023, net migration (the number of people arriving in the UK and expected to stay long term, minus the number of people leaving) stood at 685,000.
This is unusually high by historical standards and is two to three times the pre-Brexit levels. The positive news for the government is that the data appears to show that net migration is falling from the previous year. But this is hard to pin down, as the goalposts keep moving. The data is revised when more complete travel information becomes available, but this can mean substantial changes from the initially reported statistics.
