Why don't we know how many people are in Britain?

How many people live in the UK? It’s a straightforward question, yet the answer eludes some of the nation’s brightest statistical minds. Whenever official figures are tested against real-world data, the population is almost always undercounted. For example, in England alone, nearly 64 million patients are registered with GP practices - higher than the Office for National Statistics (ONS)’s estimated population of 58 million.
Who is to blame for this data deficiency? And why is Britain so bad at tackling illegal migration? The Spectator’s data editor Michael Simmons is joined by Ed West, journalist and author, to discuss.
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[@martincrocker7154]

Once upon a time there was a high trust society by the name of Great Britain after many years of piss poor stewardship it collapsed into a low trust shit show

[@kim007250]

Think that kinda sums it up in a nutshell really

[@clivecowlard7098]

Margaret Thatcher said there was no such thing as society... And we have had forty years of her anti-social policies

[@perikleshistory]

In my local supermarket the steaks are locked up

[@fatboy7276]

so true

[@czwarty7878]

@@perikleshistory I can't imagine living in such conditions and accepting this

[@lesleycronin832]

Because if the actual number was revealed people would be terrified.

[@onceamoth]

Why would our overlords collect figures they don't want us to know. They collect crime by immigration status but withhold it!

[@BelleLothbrok]

We are over popped by around 40 million Imo

[@eddiel7635]

@BelleLothbrok Hahaha, i like the way you pronounced that like it was off the back of your extensive research. The figure is obviously 4 million maximum.

[@vispolonia2670]

Millions came but bussinesses still can't get workers. Makes you thinik.

[@TheCraigy83]

Our tasks often require 100iq...you can't train to reach that number you can only inherit it .

[@sulner9997]

@@TheCraigy83 is that why your industry was taken over by other countries before migration became a issue, like cars and others, or its not that its how you setup your society, are you saying only h1b visa outside europe and the usa can do these jobs, which they are now

[@TheCraigy83]

@ We dont have the material to continue a large car industry of our own , we build other countries cars with materials they send . no im saying many uk jobs require higher iq then the majority of dark skinned immigrants have .

[@Mitjitsu]

@vispolonia2670 When you want graduates with 5 years of prior professional experience to work for minimum wage in so-called "entry level" jobs, you don't need to guess why.

[@unbabunga229]

@@TheCraigy83not fair to compare IQs of a devolved species

[@thomasmorin749]

The Water companies say it's much higher than the official figure. The DWP must have a fair idea as well.

[@katl6320]

The British are too polite in this regard and that is why they will do nothing.

[@JCRezonna-dl5qz]

Yep. A nailed on cert, sadly.

[@TheCraigy83]

no were not ! i'm a rite mouthy gobshytee , i tell it like i see it and i dgaf who i pi$$ off , i draw the line at nothing! they stole my white thumbs up so ◻🥊

[@bigbarry8343]

I'm Polish and have not noticed anything polite about their approach to immigrants like me.

[@s3p4kner]

Go to prison for just talking about it on social media ... is that a siren I hear, uh oh? If immigrants are going to come to the UK and complain about a lack of 'politeness' from the British people, they should consider just how BAD the situation has become for that to happen. Britain has always been among the top of the list of countries people want to come to for centuries, my own ancestors fled Europe during Napoleons march of terror across the continent (afaik 1790) and welcomed with open arms with the expectation that they would settle down, integrate and get on with it. Currently this is not happening and in a few years you're going to see sparks fly. My heart goes out to the honest, law abiding people that have integrated because they're going to get caught up in this mess.

[@PolakInHolland]

@@bigbarry8343 That's because you are white and therefore an easy target.

[@maxcream6726]

Sadly, Boris is a traitor.

[@arkroyalrifemoonbasealpha6101]

Yes a Turkish one at that i still cannot quite fathom why people want him back it`s because of him we have over a million sites coming here every year and what was it he said after the referendum oh i do he said he didn`t believe a vote to leave had anything to do with migration he should be in a gibbet alongside all of the others who should be in various states of fly blown decomposition already

[@Moonlight-sonata-t9r]

Labour started it in the 1990s Then the conservatives for 14 years after that and now Labour have done it again!

[@moosky7344]

Watch labour eventually accept free movement for under 30s,that age limit would be exploited tremendously for them to be allowed to work and study. EU want free studying fees for their unemployed paid for by the UK,free access to the NHS. Free extended fishing rights in UK water's,in exchange for a defence deal with the EU😢

[@YesYes-xb6he]

Governments have tried to introduce an ID card on a number of occasions but failed, they have now created the conditions that makes the introduction of one almost essential.

[@alphabetaxenonzzzcat]

Exactly - the old saying - problem, reaction and solution. Unfortunately, I think the public is very naïve over ID cards in thinking they are a good thing.

[@JohnHaveaguessGoogle]

Nearly all EU countries (Denmark excepted) have compulsory ID cards...hasn't solved anything...not the murders,gang-rapes,mass sexual assault,violence,robbery. Not a damn thing.

[@normanlazarus1836]

@@alphabetaxenonzzzcatOut of interest what do you think that the problems are with an ID system being implemented?

[@MindbodyMedic]

It's already ready to roll out. A panopticon system of cradle to grave surveillance. Blair will use illegal migrants as the excuse to push for it and Keir will oblige. Blair is utterly obsessed with data/ AI

[@BrianPaterson-f3i]

Trust!

[@scotlandtheinsane3359]

This is why I HATED 'Mr lockdown' Johnson and was called an SNP voter for it.. Ask ALL the supermarkets how many people are really here.. As well as the sewage companies etc..

[@mikeoglen6848]

What do they say the figure is?

[@scotlandtheinsane3359]

@mikeoglen6848 As far as I know they haven't said anything directly, but have been pushing for a relaxtion of monopoly restrictions due to a much increase in demand.. If we had all of their data it would definitely give us an indication.

[@bencarter2334]

One thing for sure it doesn't matter where in the country you go super markets are packed. It doesn't seem to make a difference what time of day you go either.

[@orglancs]

@@bencarter2334 Yes, that's a perceptive comment. Related to that is a feeling I started having a couple of years ago, that there were many more people everywhere, that streets and especially any open squares and parks, etc, seemed much more crowded than they used to be. Another subjective indicator is how rarely one hears English spoken now.

[@bencarter2334]

@@orglancs not noticed the language thing as much but I live in a rural area in the midlands, certainly cities are, recent trip to London confirmed that. But yes parks and public areas are packed out.

[@kolokowalsky772]

Everyone knows, why these "people" want to end up in the UK. Except government, Home Office, authorities, and some journalist.

[@MarkCarleone]

Yes they want the easy life, benefits house free schooling and health care.

[@1964_AMU]

NO IDENTITY CARDS !! All the Afghans locked in Belgian Refugee Centers have fake passports !! It takes ages to identify them, as there are no diplomatic ways with Afghanistan. But Interpol have usually finger prints of these people in Egypt, Koweit, Italy, Greece where they had other sets of passports....

[@thebatman4279]

@@MarkCarleone And access to pretty young white girls. Preferably school age.

[@53supermojo]

Which clearly explains one of the main ( not all ) reasons for Water Industry Sewage and Pollution crisis..

[@looneytoons171]

But dont you worry, we need all these doctors and engineers to deliver our uber eats

[@PMMagro]

If you don't want that don't sponsor the servcies then. .. It is a way to live outside the system (used often in my country by people staying in the country illegally).

[@saulwest8254]

@@PMMagro claiming welfare means you are in the system. Nobody lives just off an uber eats salary in a city.

[@bigbarry8343]

@@PMMagro We don't know what they really deliver.

[@VeronicaMarriott-b6t]

They don’t want you to know

[@lesleycronin832]

Because the real number would be terrifying

[@BrianPaterson-f3i]

Is

[@nickdawson9270]

What we can be sure about is that it is NOT in the interests of either politicians or the civil servants to tell the whole truth.

[@chrisf9377]

I live in one of those very diverse towns that your hear mentioned. In 2013 then the council contracted a company to fly a plane over the town and they identified 6000 outbuildings that were generating heat. You can walk down residential roads and you'll see lots of 3 bed houses with 5 or 6 cars in the driveway and the street is full of cars parked on the road. It was nothing like this 15+ years ago.

[@cityzens634]

@@chrisf9377 Which town?

[@knockedoutloaded]

The ONS says that the population of my county has increased by 32,000 in the last decade. Just from stepping out of my front door I can tell that's completely false

[@maxhobbs5512]

The ONS definitely doesn't say this

[@nickgood8166]

Becsuse 'The Great Replacement' is policy of both Labour and Tories. It is not a 'conspiracy theory'. Native Britons are on target to be a minority in their homeland around 2060.

[@miraladak2314]

I doubt very much that it is intentional. Just gross incompetence by successive governments.

[@aardvark99rex14]

​@@miraladak2314it is happening everywhere in the West and it is being done intentionally, both your your major parties are responsible! Soros and the wef are pushing for open borders as part of their globalist agenda. If you don't wake up soon your country is gone!

[@GodsOwnPrototype]

Remember most of the inflows are into England, so the children of English families are set to be a minority in the schooling system within 10years & the English Nation in their homeland in a mere few decades. Due to free movement within the UK the smaller nations are actually at risk right now of being minoritised in their kingdom within a few months should there just be a coordinated mass movement of people of foreign extraction into them.

[@marccas10]

I don't know how many people are here....I do know that if my child or your child is going to have any chance to own their own home, 10 million people are going to have to leave.

[@MarkCarleone]

Politicians have caused this problem letting illegal immigrants and criminals in without any checks, and because it's causing problems with the increase in welfare financially, they are now cutting pensioners money, and disability money, who is next? They created this problem they need to fix it quickly.

[@getmurked6859]

That’s simply untrue 30 million people could leave this country and your kids still probably couldn’t buy a home. The issue there is income and wealth inequality, You should watch Gary Stevenson channel about this topic. The super wealthy like to pump the immigration talk because it lets them off the hook regarding this. If you dislike immigration for other reasons then fair enough.

[@GodsOwnPrototype]

Stevenson is not entirely wrong, (taxing back monies from beneficiaries of massive unproductive government spending for example), but he also misses some very large points that are in fact more important.

[@marccas10]

@getmurked6859 Have you ever heard of supply and demand? The truth is that people of a left wing disposition (one which I'm sympathetic to) economically will always shy away from migration as it breaks a shibboleth of internationalism and perceived racism. There is obviously a deep problem with income inequality and the ridiculous immigration levels. The modern left will always scream about one while being deliberately obtuse about the other imbalance. This problem will never be addressed by the left, so ultimately, it will be addressed inevitably by the right wing 10 years from now. It didn't have to be this way but it seems inevitable now.

[@marccas10]

@getmurked6859 Oh by the way I do watch Gary Stevenson. I'd be in the trenches with him on income inequality and taxing wealth, not income, but he couldn't help himself and would never touch the live rail of overstretching the systems. Gary if he got his way would simply build ever bigger infrastructure to service as many people who wanted to come. He's myopic to a laughable extent.

[@abazely2743]

Algorithms used by our providers of goods and services put our population at nearer 80m which may account for many of our problems.

[@lesleycronin832]

I'd say nearer to 90-100m

[@alunevans380]

The North Yorkshire town of Middlesbrough is the UK's migrant capital, with more new arrivals flocking there per head than anywhere else in the country. "This area is overrun with people coming in and a lot of houses there are being done up to move people up from London", one disgruntled north-east said.

[@DropdudeJohn]

You know they do, they just don't want us to know, and its not really the number its the demographic

[@Epiales3]

Tesco have been hiring illegal immigrants for years.

[@richardmossfrance6353]

It strikes me as a perfectly reasonable idea that everyone should carry an ID card (as we do here in France). Only with this card could you then access the NHS (except in obvious emergencies). The fact that NHS access is currently 'address based' is simply ridiculous. Why should tax payers pay for the treatment of people who do not contribute taxes to the system?

[@jannenreuben7398]

You are talking about an entitlement card and not an ID card. It would be prohibitively expensive to implement and horribly abused by the state and its legion of goons.

[@malicant123]

I would not be surprised if the UK population were over 80 million, and in my more dejected moments, I am open to the possibility that it could be as high as 100 million.

[@JerzyTadeuszMichalow]

Agree with you 100%. The figure could be well over 100 million. The illegal immigration invasion will not be resolved by democratic elections, or Saturday afternoon get togethers in Central London by Patriotic Englishmen, Scots, Welsh or Irish. This invasion by hostile Third Worlders will only be dealt with by direct, brutal, disciplined and well planned military action by highly trained and motivated men. Period.

[@leemacdonald6533]

If you look at the amout of food sold in the uk it suggest around 85m

[@BelleLothbrok]

​ My son eats a million people z food though

[@cannz9134]

Everyone has a mobile phone. So its possible to tell exactly how many of us there are. All of our movements are tracked and information sold. So in truth it's a case of none disclosure by the state regarding population specifics.

[@pierzing.glint1sh76]

Not everyone has a phone lol plenty of old timers still use landline only. And then u don't know how many ppl r in that house

[@cannz9134]

@pierzing.glint1sh76 Of course, they know. There is a microphone in your phone that you talk into. AI can model your voice well enough to detect it through other people's devices. Thats how the state can locate criminal groups of people who are known to each other. This technology is not new either

[@cannz9134]

@Spottytoadstool there are more smart phones than humans

[@BelleLothbrok]

​@pierzing.glint1sh76 And many wives and children don't have phone either

[@moosky7344]

No not everybody has a mobile,but the vast majority do

[@JCRezonna-dl5qz]

I was born in Manchester in 1972 but haven't lived in Britain since 1999. Bear in mind that there are also millions like me who are no longer in the country but it still feels rammed compared to two or three decades ago.

[@BelleLothbrok]

I use to love my small / medium town They've trashed it now..

[@lindsaytwort8655]

It was not Johnson who started it but Blair.

[@TheAlbinoskunk]

When the settled status scheme was introduced during the Brexit process, the government estimated that there were 3.7 million people eligible, but there ended up being 5.6 million applications

[@moosky7344]

@@TheAlbinoskunk the government and others say that was debunked because some people applied twice,so were counted as 2 people haha, don't believe them, there's 976 k British spread over 27 countries

[@marccas10]

Just remember folks to always chime in with The Guardian when they talk about the water companies dumping sewage into rivers when overwhelmed. Never ever ever ask "why" though. Just look at the hand the magician is waving.

[@rosstheboss-q2f]

Sorry, don’t get that one. Could you expand?

[@velvetindigonight]

@@rosstheboss-q2fDirecting you to the water companies failing (which they are) rather than huge population increase…

[@marccas10]

@@velvetindigonight 🎯

[@mauricecousins8650]

You most certainly do see homeless camps in Central London - something you did not see two decades ago. You see them on Park Lane, under the A40 near Edgware Road and elsewhere in Westminster.

[@80sandretrogubbins25]

Not completely true there weren't any before, what about "cardboard city" in Charing Cross?

[@lenkapenka6976]

Estimates in 2007 from supermarkets was 77 million, check the old Independent article from Sunday 28 October 2007.... very revealing. I estimate now likely 90 million..... just ask the supermarkets.

[@alphabetaxenonzzzcat]

Johnson claimed he opened up immigration to counter the inflation caused by lockdowns - I'd say that is rubbish, because I suspect he was firstly told to do so and also because I think he is a fan of mass immigration. Of course, he shouldn't of implemented lockdowns in the first place - but that is another story(lockdowns which The Spectator supported as we should remember).

[@moosky7344]

More people causes inflation, supply and demand issues,as well as expensive energy,plus higher wages...

[@moosky7344]

Johnson was against face masks and thought they spread germs,he only implemented the use of them,when he got COVID badly after being around patients without a mask, he's a dangerous buffffgooon

[@moosky7344]

Johnson is a globalist capitalist,who benefit from more people arriving,which boosts their wealth and for those that own things like housing,shares, businesses

[@padfa3939]

There were 1M illegal migrants in the UK in 2010 and Borders Agency quite openly said that there where easily another 2M that they did not know about. Given that illegal migration has accelerated in the last 4 or so years how many do you think are in the UK now? Think about that.

[@BelleLothbrok]

10 million too many

[@bernierose719]

Something is going to break soon. We can’t go on like this

[@deco2132]

'I think its maybe 1 or 2 million over' Nope its more like 10 million over. Immigration has been 5 million net just in the last 7 years - and thats just the ones we know about. Theres so many more than that. I see it everyday when I leave my front door in what used to be a nice quiet town in Kent. Its now looking more like a combination of Delhi and Lagos.

[@BelleLothbrok]

Depressing isn't it....

[@Paddehj]

I feel exactly the same. It's like living in a dystopian hellscape.

[@BigAlCapwn]

The total numbers are not as important as the ratio. All of my local supermarkets now have at least one or two dedicated "world food" aisles, which are not there to encourage the natives to expand their horizons, but to cater for the recognised significant population of foreigners

[@Ephesianssixtwelve612]

Yes, and it was only a couple of years ago it was one aisle with the Dolmio’s, Pataks and Blue Dragon etc, now it’s three full aisles with catering size drums of ghee, massive bags of rice and lentils and unknown brands of various sauces no doubt familiar to our newcomers. Supply and demand is very telling.

[@SimonWallwork]

THERE IS NO PASSPORT CHECK LEAVING THE UK! So we do not know who left and who stayed. Without Border Control for exiting the UK, how can we know? I left in 2013, but am likely still counted as being there.

[@gongagong]

It is such a bizarre policy. I've been all over and it is the only country out of maybe 30-40 that I have been to that doesn't do it.

[@BelleLothbrok]

There is passport check leaving? On plane you mean?..

[@gongagong]

@ No, no immigration checks at all. Just security then into departures. The airline may check when boarding but the government does nothing.

[@REwing]

Poor old Britain!!!

[@bertiewooster3326]

Based on my own estimates which are usually faultless, there are plus or minus 5% some 77, million people in the UK today heading towards 80 million by 2030 and 100 million by 2050.

[@GroundUp-k7o]

I live in Portugal and there seems to be quite a few people from India and Africa waiting for Portuguese passport to continue onward to UK where they have family

[@rodgerhargoon3402]

It's only fair that you help them 😂 after all you'll have been in the African continent for centuries living the great life ..... be a good Christian 😂🎉😂

[@BelleLothbrok]

😢😢 It's a real crisis

[@bigbarry8343]

2:20 Tesco data in absolute sense is not very reliable, because certain populations shop only in their own shops and markets.

[@GregPodster133]

What is going to happen when Londonistans Sewer system overloads.??? An extra 1mill a year ( invaders ) something will have to give.

[@m7dgz]

Given there are already countless ways of verifying someone's id, how does an ID card achieve anything?

[@BelleLothbrok]

Some people seem not to even need those forms of id either They still get anything they need

[@Libertariun]

Sales of bacon down.

[@yorkyone2143]

Calculate the increase in sewage treated by water companies over the past couple of decades (if such a figure exists). You can hide many things but not the amount of treated human waste.

[@BelleLothbrok]

Alot of people might do it in street or car parking at my local place of nature.... 😡

[@alsoascot02]

It has always baffled me why the UK needed immigration at all. And now it's predicted to officially have 72 million by 2030 is it? And still no why tf this needed? I don't buy the whole we need workers schtick given the unemployment has never been lower than 2 million and millions are also economically inactive. Is it some kind of ambition to have the largest population in Western Europe just to claim the prize?

[@BelleLothbrok]

I don't know either But noone was. Consulted on having their standard of living decimated

[@Hanking-Warry]

Because Diane Abbott was involved in the counting process?

[@velvetindigonight]

Back in the 90’s our population was about 55 million… Only 5 million up from the second world war pop of 50 million (6 million had emigrated). How can a country absorb so many and retain our culture and way of life not to mention countryside. Shame on govt lackeys and the ‘global top of the food chain’ who do not care for us or our islands… Flip side … people are waking up at last…

[@BelleLothbrok]

Waking up isn't enough... This can't go on.. 😢😢😢😢

[@g.p616]

The only rational explanation is the “Great Replacement Theory” is actually true!

[@peteworthy8322]

We have always relied upon a system of periodic national census to guage the total population of the UK, rather than a simple counting of immigrants and emmigrants at points of entrance or exit. Parliament has always voted down the compulsory carrying of identity cards, which would be an important aid to the calculation of population.

[@htflsteve]

Yes you are correct, when the rest of Europe had ID cards the English relied on social norms and trust. I drought ID would make any difference.

[@BelleLothbrok]

Oh god That's why they're doing this.. Global wef digi spy cards

[@bernierose719]

Every town up and down the country looks like downtown Somalia

[@rakadus]

The people who started "Census" in India in the 19th century are struggling to do the same in the 21st century in their homeland.

[@johnsmith-rs2vk]

No ID . card system , no compulsorsy Reg . of one 's domicile . What do you expect .

[@j2174]

If you are in the UK illegally, then you have already committed a crime. No exceptions. Sincerely, a legal immigrant.

[@smugdug]

As a Canadian I don’t think I’ve met a person in my entire life that has a problem with legal immigrants. You’re 100% right. The problem is criminal migrants.

[@TheoriginalDamo]

This guy being interviewed can’t complete a single one of his sentences without changing what he began to say. Incoherent.

[@knowlescity]

😂

[@sotiresome5238]

Missed that as the population goes up, you need to build more prisons too, particularity if not vetting entrants.

[@BelleLothbrok]

The Gov just lets them free

[@waynenash6008]

They do know they just don't want to admit it

[@billparsons2702]

The lack of knowledge is directly related to the fact that there is no coordinated mechanism across government to manage identity and entitlement. Any attempt to improve that is always resisted - probably by the same people who complain about illegal migration, benefit fraud, health tourists and identity fraud. We are an door club with no membership system.

[@theyatsyspam]

Those people, along with the rest of the majority, didn't vote for the situation. And it's perfectly rational to imply that this situation was forced specifically to create conditions where a comprehensive ID system is necessary.

[@advocate1563]

One.of the many reasons we've left. We still read UK news - looks bonkers...

[@indigophanta8288]

Where did you escape to?

[@rodgerhargoon3402]

Well what can I say ??? For the love of Churchill and Mountbatten ...😂😂

[@stevenpaterson5100]

Would a country that doesn't police it's borders or check who is in the country not sound to you like a country ripe for a hostile take over? 3 guys with automatic weopons could control an unarmed village very quickly and we know how many illegal immigrants are here, non of which we know anything about. And if it does go that way, Starmer and co will be off in the first private jet. Might never happen,but it might....terrifying!!!

[@KimThomas-vp4vm]

We already have ID, we have driving license's, passports, bus passes, student travel cards, etc.

[@rosstheboss-q2f]

True, but some jobsworth can always turn round and say « that’s not sufficient proof ». I’ve lived in France for twenty years, I’ve got an ID card, I’ve only been asked for it when opening a bank account, joining my local library… can’t actually think of any other occasions. It shouldn’t be any big thing except that Tony Blair raised everybody’s hackles by wanting to bring in a smart ID card that would contain all sorts of intrusive personal data. What a prick that man was.

[@MindbodyMedic]

Any official estimate is off by 25% at least and always on lower end.

[@yatch989]

Original british today are too kind cultured and polite.

[@minestrone925]

the great replacement shall be the whole of the law

[@ravindra7791]

The problem is not just finding illegal immigrants because there is no proper counting. What would you do after. If you cant deport them ?

[@BelleLothbrok]

The most ridiculous thing too... when you say it out loud

[@ravindra7791]

@BelleLothbrok US can deport them (eg Colombia) but UK can't (eg Rwanda episode)

[@vaughanlockett658]

We simply have a Birth rate crisis at 1.4 we only have this rate because immigration propping up these figures. Our own white Anglo European figures are probably around 1.2 this means in 50 years the population will be halfed and after 100 years by 80% . The UK death rate is already higher than our birth rate.

[@colinu9209]

Was there a census in 2021 , I don’t recall filling it in 😮

[@velvetindigonight]

Does immigration falsely affect GDP figures ?

[@richardhutton1971]

It seems as though this country is pretty hopeless at getting anything right so it doesn't surprise me that the government have no idea how many people live here.

[@BirbarianHomeGuard]

I remember a time when Brits would complain about their waiter speaking Spanish or Polish. Times have certainly changed.

[@corneliuscornia3189]

😊😊

[@BelleLothbrok]

I never heard that Ever...

[@corneliuscornia3189]

@BelleLothbrok Of course 😀

[@milo2324]

and the media portrait b.johnson as trump like politician

[@richardmurphy4520]

" We can learn a lot from Islam." KING CHARLES. " I,m uncomfortable with christianity." PRINCE WILLIAM.

[@DirrtyLittleFreak]

An overbearing state that is also incompetent

[@bendenisereedy7865]

In 1992 the British High Commission in Abuja estimated, off the record naturally, that over 1 million Nigerians were at large in Britain.

[@bendenisereedy7865]

Thanks to living on an island we are a complacent and gullible nation who still trust each other.

[@Sten111]

The us of ID cards in UK has always been fiercely opposed.....even though collection of data by various agencies makes such opposition on basis that it infringes individual privacy quite irrelevant.

[@sarahbradbury4405]

What about all the foreign students that fail to return to their home country after there course finishes or it was a bogus course in the first place

[@BelleLothbrok]

They bring lotsa familam too

[@Moonlight-sonata-t9r]

London is a prime example of how over crowded the country is most people want to live in London Because it’s now so overcrowded they are moving them outside of London now and you will start to see those places getting overcrowded soon especially with more and more people coming here and we won’t have enough housing or infrastructure for everyone which end up making this country a third world country Which will cause more poverty and death rates Poverty because there won’t be enough to go around for everyone and death rates because people struggle to access healthcare

[@BackToSchool-e6e]

Ed is assuming that services would be refused if we had ID we already know we’re there people in hotels are ect

[@JanVP1]

People per km²: UK (279), Germany (233), France (117), Netherlands (436), Belgium (383 - but actually: 216 for Wallonia and a whopping 573 for Northern Belgium).

[@BigAlCapwn]

The ONS have admitted they massively undercounted the number of EU citizens in the UK prior to Brexit, which was the famous figure of "the 3 million". When it came to applying for 'settled status', just over 6m did.

[@panmichael5271]

Recall during Blair's tenure as Prime Minister - no limit was set to immigration numbers and even the deputy PM Prescott said publicly that he expected the population of the UK to reach some 85 million by 2050. It's very likely this number will be exceeded.

[@mjk1978]

As a 'migrator' several years ago I look at the UK as a sad basket case. Immigration is far too simple a target and let's a lot of the culprits off the hook. A conversation such as this, with vague references to the 'homeless in The Strand', adds nothing to the debate. It was like that in the 80's. Let's see something other than banter from the pub to address this catastrophic failure of government.

[@fannyblancmange4709]

The commentariat here hardly any better than the political class they claim to be speaking lame truth to. "We don't know but erm not knowing is better than erm knowing if it's for bad reasons erm".

[@patrickmccutcheon9361]

Because of the absurd idea that you don’t want people to register where they live and carry ID cards.

[@khankrum1]

Identity cards will soon sort that problem out!

[@JimmoStClair]

1:02 Nope, the Treasury wants more for 'ma GDP'.

[@RubyBaker-b4x]

ID cards computer based with finger prints

[@joanneblowey3001]

I like facts and figures.Population was already 80 million September last year!Then A.I.came online and suddenly its millions lower.That is also who they know about only.

[@GabrielWard2001]

This is insane!!

[@Acediscoface]

10 years ago the NHS had 80million active nhs numbers. That isnt people thst have died and still registered. 10 years ago.

[@bigbarry8343]

11:00 Under May HO, the immigration has actually reduced significantly and she was on the way to deliver tens of thousands. However this coincided with the slump of property prices (second after 2008) so nobody liked it.

[@samnicolson1197]

Australians have our Medicare cards. All citizens, permanent residents and i believe those applying for protection may have them. Tourists, overseas students have passports and are counted in and out of the country. We don't have a lot of illegal boat entries, so it's easier for us than the UK. Australia has a good grasp on who is in the country at any time.

[@BelleLothbrok]

It's easy They just acting out their masters orders here

[@6JackOfClubs9]

'Debunked by Buzzfeed' 😂😂

[@joanneguy9733]

It would be interesting to drill down the births and deaths. Which ethnicities are dying and which ethnicities are being born?

[@bendenisereedy7865]

Interesting point. Africans die young, as a 60 year-old visiting Africa I was considered very old and venerable. Ha ha.

[@steel7914]

It may not have peaked if you see what Labour is doing, basically welcoming people into the country now whilst Germany, France and Italy are closing their borders and not making it possible to claim leave for remain or benefits. Therefore, enticing more people to come to the UK. God knows where we would be if it were not for the English channel.

[@BackToSchool-e6e]

Ed Miss understands it’s not that they can’t it’s a lack of will Better to live in ignorance as so they can claim the numbers are low

[@knowlescity]

Some of us shop at waitrose

[@BelleLothbrok]

Marks 😂

[@leemacdonald6533]

The true figure is close to 85,000,000

[@WayneMcauliffe-f1s]

I`d hate to live in England

[@BelleLothbrok]

Where are you?

[@WayneMcauliffe-f1s]

@BelleLothbrok Brisbane Queensland Australia mate

[@Acemec92]

Talk talk talk but what is the end game of all this ! ???

[@corneliuscornia3189]

True,why they bring so many people that is the question!!?