Britain`s Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick arrives for a Cabinet meeting at Downing Street in London, Britain, 22 November 2023. EPA/NEIL HALL
Despite the Conservative Party's commitment to reduce it, legal immigration into Britain reached a record 745,000 in 2022. The statistics were a new setback for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is struggling to deter asylum seekers coming in small boats on the British shore while also trying to rebuild the economy and deal with low polling numbers, as the New York Times reported.
The figures are for persons who have been granted permission to enter the U.K., primarily to work or study. A majority now come from outside Europe, which is politically uncomfortable for Brexit advocates. Those in favour of leaving vowed to "reclaim control" of the country's borders during the 2016 referendum campaign. /BGNES
