Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has branded new population projections for the UK as "shocking and unacceptable", demanding urgent action to prevent the forecasted growth.
The Conservative MP called for a "hard binding legal cap on visas issued each year" in response to Office for National Statistics [ONS] figures released today.
Speaking on GB News, Philp insisted: "These forecasts are totally unacceptable. It does not need to happen and it shouldn't be allowed to happen."
He urged the Government to "urgently introduce a legally binding cap on the number of visas that get given out".
Chris Philp demanded an urgent cap on visas
GB NEWS / PA
The ONS projects the UK population will reach 72.5 million by mid-2032, up from 67.6 million in mid-2022.
This growth of nearly five million people will be driven almost entirely by net migration, estimated to total 4.9 million over the 10-year period.
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The projections assume net migration will average 340,000 per year from mid-2028 onwards, lower than current levels.
Over the decade, approximately 9.9 million people are expected to immigrate to the UK long-term, while 4.9 million will emigrate.
England is projected to see the largest population increase among UK nations at 7.8 per cent, compared with 5.9 per cent for Wales, 4.4 per cent for Scotland and 2.1 per cent for Northern Ireland.
Philp elaborated on his concerns, stating: "We should not be giving out a million visas a year, that's a choice and we can stop that straight away with a hard, legally binding cap."
Chris Philp joined Tom Harwood and Nana Akua on GB News
GB NEWS
The Shadow Home Secretary argued for a more selective approach to immigration.
"We should only be letting people in with high levels of skill in areas where there are genuine shortages and people who are going to command high wages," he said.
He suggested focusing on domestic workers instead: "Look to the nine million working age adults we've got here in the UK who are economically inactive and get a fair chunk of them into work."
The natural change in population - the difference between births and deaths - is projected to be "around zero", with both estimated at 6.8 million over the period.
The ONS data highlights an increasingly ageing population, with those aged over 85 projected to nearly double to 3.3 million by 2047.
By mid-2032, more than one in 10 people will be aged 75 and over, compared with about one in 11 in mid-2022.
James Robards from the ONS noted this trend is partly due to "the ageing of the baby boom generation, as well as general increases in life expectancy."
The ONS stressed these figures are projections rather than predictions, with actual numbers subject to change.
