UK population now more than 61m

[Treffie]

The UK population has passed 61 million for the first time, according to the Office for National Statistics.

There were 408,000 more people living in the UK in 2008, taking the population to 61.4 million.

For the first time in almost a decade, changes in birth and death rates have overtaken immigration as the biggest factor affecting population growth.

Overall migration levels - the numbers of people arriving minus those leaving - fell by 44% to 118,000.

This is the lowest level since EU enlargement.

The ONS said this latest increase in population was the biggest in nearly 50 years.

In 1962 the population rose by 484,000 and in 1947 population levels rose by 551,000.

There are now 1.3 million people aged over 85, a record number, who make up 2% of the total population.


The British people can be confident that immigration is under control

Immigration Minister Phil Woolas

There were 791,000 babies born in the UK last year, an increase of 33,000 on 2007, and a figure which is almost twice the rise recorded at the start of this decade.

The population is now growing by 0.7% every year, more than double the rate in the 1990s and three times the level of the 1980s.

'Strong borders'

Border and Immigration Minister Phil Woolas said:"The fall in net migration is further proof that migrants come to the UK for short periods of time, work, contribute to the economy and then return home.

"Our new flexible points-based system gives us greater control on those coming to work or study from outside Europe, ensuring that only those that Britain need can come.

"Britain's borders are stronger than ever before. Our border controls in northern France are stopping record numbers of migrants reaching our shores - 28,000 in 2008.

"The British people can be confident that immigration is under control."

But shadow immigration minister Damian Green said: "These figures show our population is still rising fast, even when the recession is driving hundreds of thousands of people to leave.

"This puts added pressure on housing and transport, and shows that there is still no proper control over immigration numbers."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8224520.stm

[Beorn]

What we need is a good old population thinning war.

Over 61 million people now living in the UK is simply unacceptable.


There were 791,000 babies born in the UK last year

I wonder if Muhammad will overtake the other names to finally claim the first spot as most popular name in the UK?

[Beorn]

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/08/28/article-1209837-06108876000005DC-29_468x286.jpg



Soaring immigration - and a migrant baby boom - has sent Britain's population rocketing over the 61 million mark.

We are now the second most densely populated country in the world, something that will be all too apparent on the roads and trains this bank holiday weekend.


Sadly, though, it is not the indigenous middle-class, hard-working, tax-paying population that's exploding.--(Thank God, could you imagine more of those middle class oiks running around?!)--




According to statistics, our latest baby boom is partly down to high birth rates among immigrants, and partly due to rising numbers of younger mothers.


The Office for National Statistics thinks this latter trend is explained by young women putting babies before careers. Well, none of the young women I know is.


So who are these younger mothers? It stands to reason that many of them must be teenagers.



How many of them are married or even have their children's father around? How many have jobs or are supported by someone who does? How many live off benefits?

No, what these figures really show is that our benevolent welfare system is actively encouraging girls to have babies young and alone.

Labour has, disgracefully, made single-motherhood a legitimate occupation.

My other worry is this: how many immigrant mums have contributed anything to this country before landing us with another child to educate in our already struggling schools?


Across Britain, one in four babies is born to a mother from overseas. The figure is 55 per cent in London, and in some places it's as high as 75 per cent.


Small wonder, then, that many teachers find themselves struggling against the language barrier to raise educational standards.

At a time when the very core of Britishness is threatened, shouldn't we be concerned about this?



We're told mass immigration is crucial to keep Britain booming, that we need foreign workers.


In fact, as other figures showed this week, more than five million Brits have never worked under Labour, which suggests that far from importing workers, we need to get our own population into jobs.

The cost of unemployment in the UK is now £346 billion - with £100 billion of that paid in housing benefits alone.


The sad truth of the matter is that it's not so much a baby boom we're experiencing as a benefits boom. Middle Britain, stand ready to empty your wallets.


Source (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1209837/Amanda-Platell-Why-baby-boom-make-bust.html)

[Atlas]

We do have a similar small baby-boom in France too.

It's actually Germany we should worry about, they are at 1.3 children per women for around 2 for England and France. And they have also a huge number of immigrants.