Migration cut pledge despite record rate

The Government has insisted it remains committed to cutting net migration to Britain to the “tens of thousands” – despite it hitting a record high last year.

Official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed long-term net migration in 2010 was 252,000 – the highest calendar year total on record.

The figures represent a big increase on the 2009 total of 198,000 – although ministers said they had now peaked and were starting to come down.

Downing Street said David Cameron still believed he could meet his target to get net migration down below the 100,000-a-year mark by the end of the Parliament.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman added: “Clearly it is going to take some time.”

However, Oxford University’s Migration Observatory warned ministers would have to slash immigration from outside the European Union by 70 per cent if they were to achieve the target.

The ONS said that while immigration had been broadly steady at 591,000 last year, there had been a sharp fall in emigration with 339,000 leaving the country – the lowest total since 2001.