The great Conservative Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli wrote, "Change is constant… change is inevitable." Yet, while change is bound to be, because our ability to adapt is not infinite, its scale and pace both matter. Stability, continuity, and our national identity are not optional — they are the bedrock of our society. A nation that ignores these foundations of well-being, to the extent ours is now, does so at its own peril.
Figures released last week by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal an imminent and irreversible demographic upheaval. By 2032, the UK's population is projected to soar to 72.5 million, driven almost entirely by net migration. They predict that nearly five million more people will arrive than leave, while the native population will remain static. This unsustainable population growth is an existential crisis endangering our kingdom's very character.
It is accepted that all advanced countries see people arriving and leaving each year, but what is crucial is the balance between the two. If people enter in overwhelming numbers, society will buckle. A country cannot function with extreme imbalances. As controlling net migration is necessary for stability, security, and long-term prosperity.
When, in 2023, net migration reached a record-breaking 906,000, I called in Parliament for policymakers to take population growth seriously. If the current trajectory continues, we will be required to build the equivalent of five new cities almost the size of Birmingham within seven years. Yet, we all know this won't happen – and neither should it! Meanwhile, our housing supply is at breaking point, yet we are expected to absorb millions more incomers.
The strain extends beyond bricks and mortar. The National Health Service, already cracking under colossal pressure, could not cope. Every single new arrival needs healthcare and education and uses other public services. So, it is reasonable to question to what schools will their children go; at which doctors will they register, where will they live; and how will our infrastructure survive?
Those who claim mass migration sustains our economy are deluding themselves and others. The stark reality is it drives down wages, erodes job opportunities for British workers, and allows businesses to rely on cheap foreign labour instead of investing in skills and innovation. The future of Britain should not rely on an endless supply of low-paid workers imported to prop up a failing skills system and a burgeoning 'welfare culture', with 5.6 million people in Great Britain claiming out-of-work benefits in 2024.
Certainly, our nation has always relied on a reliable supply of peripatetic labour to support food production. That's precisely why I back the Seasonal Workers Scheme - it is successful because it is rooted in common sense; workers arrive for a clear purpose, contribute to seasonal needs, and then return home. This kind of controlled, purposeful migration protects our nation's interests.
Beyond economics, the social fabric of our nation is at stake. Particular communities across the country have borne the brunt of rapid, large-scale immigration. Cultural and linguistic shifts on such a vast scale cannot be seamlessly absorbed. Integration becomes impossible when change occurs at a pace too rapid to manage, and our dogmatic pursuit of 'multiculturalism' has made all this worse by creating segregated subcultures with little or no grasp of (or interest in) British values. As the common sense of identity that binds us is overwhelmed, the national sense of place is stretched to breaking point.
The government must act now — no more dithering or excuses will suffice. We should end uncontrolled migration by imposing unyielding, enforceable caps. Work visas must mean that only those who are truly a boon to this country are admitted. Spouse visas must be tightened, the shortage occupation list drastically reduced, and graduate visas should end when the study they relate to ends.
Prime Minister Disraeli also said, "Man is not the creature of circumstances." The demographic circumstance we face is not an accident of history — it is the direct result of political choices. To reclaim control of our borders, communities, and future, these decisions can and must change. For without urgent action, we will see the fabric of our society irreversibly unpicked.
