Immigration will be a key election battleground but the issue is not as clear cut as it’s made out

On the surface, new net migration figures make for positive reading for the Tories. The 10 per cent drop last year, following a new record high of 764,000 in 2022, will be welcomed by many who are concerned about immigration.

However, it is still too early to say that this is the start of a downward trend. Indeed that is the conclusion of the Office of National Statistics (ONS), which collects this data.

But it hasn’t stopped Home Secretary James Cleverly claiming that this was proof that the Government’s plan for bringing down immigration figures was working.

While immigration can often be a polarising issue, the reason for this drop needs to be more closely examined.

The rise in the number of people emigrating from the UK long-term has been driven largely by increased emigration from non-EU nationals, particularly among those who initially arrived on a study visa.

It’s worth asking what the country is losing in terms of skills and expertise, having provided a seat of learning to students from other countries.

A lot of the focus has been on illegal migration but that is only a small proportion of overall migration to the UK.

Having said that, there is clearly a need to stop dangerous small boat crossings and the Prime Minister’s comments that his controversial Rwanda plan would not take off until after the general election leaves him open to criticism as to whether he ever even believed in the scheme.

It’s easy for Labour to be critical but it needs to come up with a fully costed and detailed plan on how it intends to deal with the hot potato that is immigration.