Top News

The Conservatives "went further than Corbyn" on immigration levels, critics have claimed. The accusation came after documents released by the Conservatives in 2019 warned that Labour "can't be trusted on immigration", claiming that "net immigration under Labour was more than twice the population of Birmingham".

Produced by Conservative Campaign Headquarters during the 2019 General Election, the dossier warned of Jeremy Corbyn's "plan for uncontrolled and unlimited immigration". It modelled what could happen if free movement was expanded to the rest of the world and claimed that net immigration into the UK could hit 840,000 per year over the next decade.

At the time Labour referred to the release as "fake news", according to reports.

But Alp Mehmet, chairman of Migration Watch UK, said that "the projection of net migration of 840,000 was reasonable", adding that "despite promises to reduce immigration, the Tories went even further than the loose Corbyn plan".

The criticism comes just days after the Conservatives' election rivals, Nigel Farage's Reform UK, announced a new campaign entitled "Stop the Boriswave".

At an event in central London, the party announced it would seek to halt benefit claims by migrants who came in under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, branded the "Boriswave" by online critics.

Mr Mehmet criticised Mr Johnson, saying: "Under Boris Johnson, the Tories made matters worse by allowing limitless immigration for work and studies because control of visas was effectively handed to employers and the universities. Most concerning is that the arrangements that led to the opening of the floodgates are substantially still in place with only minor changes being proposed."

According to research by Reform UK, Mr Johnson and his successors issued some 3.8million long-term visas, which the party claims will lumber Britons with a £622billion tax bill.

Annual net migration more than doubled compared to the previous decade, with a net influx of some 2.6million.

Migration Watch analysis shows this is higher than the amount the Tories warned Mr Corbyn would allow into the country.

The watchdog claimed in a post on X that "the Conservatives warned us that Jeremy Corbyn's 'plan for uncontrolled and unlimited immigration' could see annual net migration surge to 840,000/year. Under the Conservatives, net migration peaked at 944,000/year."

Speaking at the campaign launch, at which Reform announced it would end Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf said: "The British people voted for Brexit to take back control of our borders, yet the Tories opened the floodgates and left a fiscal time bomb under the desks as they left. This wasn't just mass migration; it was the deliberate importation of unprecedented numbers of low-wage, high-dependency people that is about to bankrupt the British taxpayer."

Chris Philp, the Shadow Home Secretary, speaking at the time of Reform's Boriswave campaign launch, said that his party was "under new leadership and setting out clear plans to drastically reduce legal immigration".

The Conservative Party and Labour Party were approached for comment.