‘What rubbish!’ Lee Anderson in blistering row over Reform promise as Britain's population braced to 'explode'

“There are millions of people around the country who have come in from abroad to make our country better”, he argued.

“That’s rubbish”, the Reform MP hit back, adding: “People are not coming into our country to make this country better. They’re doing it to make their lives better.”

“Two things can be true at the same time”, said Stadlen. “The people who helped my dad die a dignified death and helped me change his pads when he was dying from asbestos poisoning were all from other countries. Mostly African countries.”

“Why aren’t they doing it in their own countries and helping their own people?”, Lee asked.

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Stadlen said the pay is better for healthcare workers in Britain, which Lee said proved his entire point.

“We are brain draining places like Africa, taking their best doctors, nurses and surgeons”, he said.

“These people should stay in their own countries and help their own countries develop and get better.”

“I absolutely agree with you”, said Stadlen. He added: “In order for that to happen, we have to have people who are prepared to do those sort of jobs.

“I’m not just talking about doctors here, I’m talking about people who are prepared to change the pads of our parents when they are dying. If we don’t have those people or we’re not paying them enough, we’re going to have to bring people in from abroad.”

Lee then proposed a radical solution to the conundrum, saying economically inactive people should be forced back into work.

“They’re on the dole, doing nothing, sat at home watching TV, stop the benefits”, he said.

“In the world of Matthew Stadlen, everyone is sat at home eating pizza, watching TV with mental health problems. Is that what you want?

“They should go to work and contribute towards society. Go to work and do a job and pay, contribute towards society.”

It comes after the shocking revelation that the UK population is projected to grow by nearly five million people to reach 72.5 million by mid-2032, according to the ONS.

The increase represents a significant rise from the estimated 67.6 million people recorded in mid-2022.

Net migration is projected to account for 4.9 million of this population growth over the next decade.

This represents the primary driver behind the UK's expanding population, according to the ONS data.

The number of births and deaths across the period are projected to be almost identical, with approximately 6.8 million in each category.

Net migration is expected to average 340,000 per year from mid-2028 onwards, lower than current levels.

James Robards from the ONS said: "The driver of this growth is migration, with natural change – the difference between births and deaths – projected to be around zero."

The ONS expert highlighted the UK's increasingly ageing population trend.