Another view of Immigration/Migrants.
Britain is facing a demographic crisis that cannot be wished away. Birth rates have fallen to their lowest levels on record, with women in England and Wales now having on average just 1.41 children. In Scotland the figure is even lower at 1.25. To maintain a stable population, the so-called “replacement rate” is 2.1. Britain has been below that threshold for more than fifty years.
The only reason our population is not in steep decline is immigration. More women living here, including those born abroad, means more children are being born, offsetting the historic fall in fertility among British-born mothers. Last year, more than a third of all babies born in England and Wales had mothers who were born outside the UK. In Luton, the town with the highest fertility rate in the country, that figure is seven in ten. Without immigration, Britain’s population would already be shrinking.
This is not just a question of numbers, it is about the future of our economy and society. Fewer young people means fewer workers to support an ageing population. Pensioners live longer, draw more from the state, and rely heavily on the NHS, yet there are fewer people of working age to pay the taxes that sustain them. Demographic experts warn that the burden on today’s workforce will only increase unless we replenish the population with new generations.
Other countries are showing what happens when immigration is embraced rather than feared. Spain’s recent economic success is being driven in large part by a progressive immigration policy. Migrants there have helped to reverse demographic decline, filled labour shortages, and powered GDP growth. According to the Bank of Spain, immigration contributed to around a quarter of the growth in GDP per capita between 2022 and 2024. Since 2019, migrants have filled about 70 percent of new jobs created. They are working in key sectors like tourism, construction and care, boosting demand, creating employment, and funding welfare systems. Combined with investments in green energy and labour market reforms, immigration has turned Spain from a transit country into one of Europe’s economic success stories. It is a model Britain would do well to study.
That is where immigration matters most. Refugees and migrants who come to Britain are often young, fit and ready to work. Many go on to become doctors, nurses and care workers, filling shortages in vital services like the NHS. Others contribute to industries facing a serious lack of workers, from hospitality and construction to logistics and agriculture. Their children grow up as part of our communities, and they are the ones who will keep our economy alive as the native birth rate continues to fall.
The truth is that immigration is not a burden, it is a necessity. It sustains our population, strengthens our workforce, and ensures that Britain does not age into decline. Those who attack refugees and migrants as a threat to this country have it backwards. Without them, Britain will not have the workers, the carers or the taxpayers needed to look after its own people.
Immigration is not just about compassion, though that is reason enough. It is about securing Britain’s future. It is about recognising that this country has always been renewed by those who arrive here seeking a better life. To turn our backs on that now would not only betray our values, it would undermine the very foundations of our economy. Britain needs immigration, and it needs refugees, because they are part of the solution to the challenges we face today.
The only reason our population is not in steep decline is immigration. More women living here, including those born abroad, means more children are being born, offsetting the historic fall in fertility among British-born mothers. Last year, more than a third of all babies born in England and Wales had mothers who were born outside the UK. In Luton, the town with the highest fertility rate in the country, that figure is seven in ten. Without immigration, Britain’s population would already be shrinking.
This is not just a question of numbers, it is about the future of our economy and society. Fewer young people means fewer workers to support an ageing population. Pensioners live longer, draw more from the state, and rely heavily on the NHS, yet there are fewer people of working age to pay the taxes that sustain them. Demographic experts warn that the burden on today’s workforce will only increase unless we replenish the population with new generations.
Other countries are showing what happens when immigration is embraced rather than feared. Spain’s recent economic success is being driven in large part by a progressive immigration policy. Migrants there have helped to reverse demographic decline, filled labour shortages, and powered GDP growth. According to the Bank of Spain, immigration contributed to around a quarter of the growth in GDP per capita between 2022 and 2024. Since 2019, migrants have filled about 70 percent of new jobs created. They are working in key sectors like tourism, construction and care, boosting demand, creating employment, and funding welfare systems. Combined with investments in green energy and labour market reforms, immigration has turned Spain from a transit country into one of Europe’s economic success stories. It is a model Britain would do well to study.
That is where immigration matters most. Refugees and migrants who come to Britain are often young, fit and ready to work. Many go on to become doctors, nurses and care workers, filling shortages in vital services like the NHS. Others contribute to industries facing a serious lack of workers, from hospitality and construction to logistics and agriculture. Their children grow up as part of our communities, and they are the ones who will keep our economy alive as the native birth rate continues to fall.
The truth is that immigration is not a burden, it is a necessity. It sustains our population, strengthens our workforce, and ensures that Britain does not age into decline. Those who attack refugees and migrants as a threat to this country have it backwards. Without them, Britain will not have the workers, the carers or the taxpayers needed to look after its own people.
Immigration is not just about compassion, though that is reason enough. It is about securing Britain’s future. It is about recognising that this country has always been renewed by those who arrive here seeking a better life. To turn our backs on that now would not only betray our values, it would undermine the very foundations of our economy. Britain needs immigration, and it needs refugees, because they are part of the solution to the challenges we face today.
