Our country is gong to change hugely - and you will have no say

We’ve been treated to much handwringing over the past few weeks about how many Syrian refugees we should admit, from anarchist nutjobs calling for open borders, and from luvvies saying we must admit more.

None of them put their proposals in any context of our overall population numbers. It’s so much easier that way.

But now, unluckily for them, along come the Office for National Statistics (ONS) with their updated projections. They’re horrible.

Over the ten year period to mid-2024, the UK population is projected to increase by 4.4 million to 69.0 million – nearly 7%.

Mass immigration is the major cause of our rapid population increase – it is estimated that net migration plus births to foreign-born parents has accounted for 85% of population growth since 2000.

If net migration continues at 240K (the average of the last ten years), then the population is projected to rise by 2.5 million over the next five years and to reach 73 million in the next 15 years. This is an increase of 8 million people, the equivalent of adding the combined population of Greater Manchester and the cities of Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Leicester, Leeds, Sheffield, Bradford, Nottingham, Portsmouth and Bristol.

So England especially will become more and more crowded (because that’s where most immigrants want to settle). That’s why your town or city is probably seeing lots of new housing developments being thrown up. Maybe you don’t want them. Maybe you’d prefer the place where you live to stay roughly the same size and retain its character.

You don’t have a choice.

The make-up of the population is also changing. 25% of all births in 2013 were to mothers born outside the UK. 60% of the projected 8 million increase will be from future migration.

This blog has always said that immigration is a numbers issue. Since 2000 the population of the UK has increased at a faster rate than any time in the previous 90 years.

Unlike previous episodes of growth, the major reason for this increase is the high level of immigration. In 2011 the population of the UK was 63.2 million, with the foreign born population at 8 million, or 12.6%. It is estimated that net migration plus births to foreign-born parents has accounted for 85% of population growth since 2000.

It’s not just more housing we will need to build. More people means more pressure on schools, health, transport … not to mention energy, where our safety margins are falling away to almost nothing.

Politicians like the idea of ruling a big country. Britain will be the second most populous country in Europe in 2030, overtaking France, and then overtake Germany to become the largest country in Europe in 2047. But so what? How will that benefit you and me? There’s little sign that we want more clout in the world.

You may not want the country’s population to grow. You may not want its make-up to change.

No one ever asked you.

And now the die is cast.