When are we going to ask ourself how much is the 1.1 million immigrant workers contribute towards the uk economy. Everyone seems shocked to about this figure but what everyone should be shocked of is we have 5 million people claiming benefits..Britain should be happy to have those hard working immigrant workers rather than moaning all the time. I wonder how strong the british economy will be without immigrant workers.May be like in the 60's !!

frank L, london,

Sorry eh? Oh that's alright then.

If I had sat down and spent a couple of weeks writing a Master Plan for how to totally ruin Britain from the foundations up - whilst getting away with it long enough for the ruse to work - I don't think I could have come up with a better plan than that enacted by Blair, Brown, and their numerous comrades over the past 10 years.

I only left 2 years ago and watching what's going on in the UK these days is like peering through the gates into a lunatic asylum.

There's no point in saying "wake up before it's too late", because it already is. The only advice that I can offer is to sell up at the top of the market and get the hell out while you still can.

Jon Leigh, Southern, France

This Labour/socialist goverment is to blame for the state of the country. They have bought votes by softening up on immigration and then they will spin it and make out as though it has economic benitits. The long term damage by allowing families to settle here who having nothing in common and who don't identify with British culture and only see the administrators/Labour government as soft on social benifits is neglegent and reckless - Labour does not hold itself responsible, they are not accountable and this is why the electorate needs to understand how seriously dangerous it will be to allow this govenrment to sign up to any form of European constitution or what ever other name they so choose to call it. Labour were the masters of spin but the British people have wised up to this - the government serves the people, they are public servants and it is time they start behaving as public servants.

Justin, London,

I bet he says he's sorry but is sorry good enough? We are being manipulated with lies and spin. This wasn't a mistake it was an attempt to con the public. We are being governed by complete cynics and they need to go.

judy, Liverpool, england

The solution is very simple:

NO Benefits + NO Free-Housing = Better Education * NO Job Stability = Better services and living standards

Claire, Cambridge, UK

J Boyle the reason 'our' healthy youth don't want 'immigrant' jobs is that rather than improve working conditions to attract them into those positions it is cheaper to subvert decades of proletariat struggle and import people with lower expectations and no stake in the indigenous cultures' experience of history. It's Labour doing a dirty on the very people they are supposed to represent. Why would our 'healthy youth' want to be complicit in this betrayal? Despite the leftist veneer and trade union support Nu Labour has no socialist credentials and no proletariat solidarity, they are the party of expedience and want the job done at the lowest financial cost to keep UK inc. profitable for their oligarch paymasters. The human cost is of no concern to them. The displaced proletariat will bear that shock, making Labour class traitors to the left. Britain has become a bolt hole for tax exiled billionaires. Clothed in hypocrisy they have spun us a vapid future devoid of substance.

Winston McSmith, Edinburgh, Scotland

Looks like Brown's abacus is passing around all the government offices, he could never get on with figures either. Still, doesn't matter how big the the Eddie's just say sorry and move on.
Whenever the Band-Aid Brigade meets a crisis, take the easiest line and just stick a plaster on it.

Thorrun, Brentwood,

I am a Romanian, univ graduated, in Northern Ireland since June 07. Before I arrived here I worked for my University from Romania for the IT department, as lab assistant, for 8 months.

The point is that, since the first day I have arrived here I had the deep desire to work legal and don't accept any illegal offers. After 2 months I have been enough lucky to be found by a company who employed ne and paying me even equal as british. The company even applyed for a work permit for my behalf - and after one month they got the answer from Home Office, and in the letter said that they can't accept the application for the work permit as I don't have the minimum requested years of experience. Unfortunately my work experience were just 8 months. Of course, the Home Office they know better than the company if my experience is enough for improving their business.

From my life experience lived here so far, I definietly think here is more birocracy and discrimmination than in Romania. Nic

Nic, Belfast, Northern Ireland

They might be clueless about the actual numbers but if you want to work anywhere as a Romaian or Bulgarian national you need to fill in the BR1 form in order to receive a Yellow Card for working in the UK. So unless employers haven't been asking for those then the real figures are bound to be wrong...

Andrea, Manchester,

surely the whole point of a British Government is to look after it's citizens first? or have I lost the plot?

Here we have a situation whereby our governmnet has given away the keys of our country to people who have no real loyatity to the UK.

Yes migrants create new jobs that's obvious if you have an extra 2 million living here you going to need more people to service them - more migrants!!

justin semmens, orpington, kent

Next questions to the Government:
How many British people are on benefits that would not have been without this massive immigration?
How much extra working tax credit is paid to Brits cos wages have been depressed?
How many years before the immigrants have children and then find themselves in the same position as many Brits i.e. unable to live on half a living wage?
Only when we get the answers to these questions will we see the real cost of migration on this scale.

jane, oxford, uk

Why do you try to make the imigrants your scapegoat?
The NHS shortage existed way before the EU borders opened up. Plus, who wants to be treated by your NHS ? Trust me, I don't. Your NHS is so bad that I prefer to go private or fly to my home country to be treated if I have a more serious problem. Last time when I went to a GP in UK with a bad tummy burn that lasted more than 7 days, she told me to keep a diary with what I eat. I've flew back home, and after a proper endoscopy and it turned out I had a very bad gastritis.
Imigrants pay their taxes the same as english people. 40% of my salary goes to taxes (and on top of that council tax, road tax, etc), so I am entitled to use the UK public services if I wish to do so. If you don't want me to use them, stop taxing me.
It should be a free society. People should be allowed to travel and experience living/working wherever they wish to as long as they obey the rules of that country.

Mirela, Cambridge, UK

It is surprising to find out that the UK government can't count all that well, or so it seems.
I was also wondering why they are censoring the name of David Linley as being a potential royal blackmail target?

CP, Belgium,

It is excellent that hard working people from all other the world want to come to the UK to make a better life for themselves and their families.
Welcome - to all those who are prepared to work, learn English and obey the law.
Now how do we go about deporting all the Brits who should be doing these jobs, but prefer to live on social security ?

BrummyDoug, Birmingham, England

As a former employer in the UK I can say that I would rather employ someone who could do the job for a fair wage rather than someone could do the job for the wage that he/she needs to exist in the current economic situation that exists in the UK at the moment.

eddie, davis, ca, usa

So why has Peter Hein and Jacqui Smith apologised for figures that they simply passed on from his Home Office source. It is the civil servant departmental head who should be apologising to Parliament.

The media reported some time age that the Home Office was in difficulties and was described as ’unfit for purpose’. Was not the head of the department sacked? It would seem from the above article that the Home Office is becoming better and now producing more accurate figures... alarming ones. I remember that under Thatcher the Civil Service was reduced considerably in spite of warnings that this would effect its ability to function effectively.

I well remember the increasingly misleading presentation of the unemployment figures throughout the 1980s... which still exists today.

Wini, Dorset,

I had to laugh at the comment from Switzerland - anyone would think that the Swiss had a welcoming open door policy on immgrants like we do, in fact Switzerland has one of the most restrictive immigration policies in the world. Perhaps if this person lived in the UK, she would understand the fears of our citizens.

tony, birmingham, uk

I am foreign and despite that this comment could backfire to me, I am not agree with the policy of open doors for EU nationals, nor the discrimination against Bulgarians and Romanians, when a quote should be allowed for each country instead. Blocking people from Bulgaria and Rumania only will bring more poles. Having more people from just one more group (poles) reduces the diversity and creates more conflicts.

Giuliano
Bournemouth
Dorset

Giuliano, Bournemouth, Dorset

So, to summarise. They haven't the slightest idea how many migrants are entering the country. My guess is that if we add yet another 300,000 we are probably beginning to get close. I live in a small town in the Chilterns - all the cleaners are Polish and the men who run the local car wash are Hungarian. I take my dogs for a walk across the fields and I pass small groups of people speaking an East European language.

And only a week or so ago we had a Govt report which purported to estimate the additional value to the UK economy from migration. As they now admit their numbers were wrong I guess we consign that report to the dustbin - though given this Govt's performance on immigration I suspected most of us treated that document as just another piece of spin in any event.

H, London,

Brits play the benefit system to their advantage and are lazy scroungers. Migrants play the migration game to their advantage and they're hardworking, salt of the earth saviours. People make themselves better off- that's how it works. I'd be jumping straight out of bed if I could live abroad for a year, share a room with a mate, earn many times by salary and go home to my largely unchanged homeland with a nice nest egg. As it is, priced out of the housing market and seeing my native culture sold off to provide cheap labour for big business, I can barely motivate myself to get up and earn taxes for others to stay in bed.

Dan, Oxford, England

Romanian migrants prefer to look for jobs in Italy because of the strong linguistic ties and close distance between the two countries. Italy is home to the largest foreign-based Romanian community and according to the latest statistics, Romanians are the first foreign group in the country.
http://www.eumap.org/journal/features/2004/migration/pt1/commuting

Riccardo, London,

"British workers are more interested in the tea-breaks than they are in the job and given a choice we will hire European personnel as a first priority."

Ann Maxton, British people are European and your company's policy is probably illegal.

DJ, Midlands, UK

Wonder if the original figure of 800k was to soften the public first and then come out with another figure of 300k as mis-counted. Was this a delibrate ploy to misguide the public - I think so. The Government knew all the time the final figure would cause an uproar, so provide 2 sets of figures and counter the objection with apology - excellent way to treat the people of this country - well done NuLab!!! keep up the good work!!!

What other figures have NuLab not told the people of this country - why keep them in dark anylonger - the cat is out of the bag and election is far away - people you hope, will forget all these figures by next election, so lets have the whole lot in one big statement with appropriate apology. You know which figures we are talking about, all those that are not included in the current estimate. Lets go NuLab!!!

YT, London, UK

Despite the pathetic position she's in, to display such arrogance by starting her lame reply with "Of Course" is incredulous....Time New Labour fourth raters like Smith tasted a dose of humility.

Tom, St. Albans, England

Of course, the 1.1 million is a gross underestimate. Apart from the large number of Eastern Europeans legitimately here because of EU arrangements and the millions of immigrants from the Commonwealth, and the hundreds of thousands or refugees/asylum seekers there seems to be an army of South Americans working (cleaning ladies from Ecuador and office cleaners from Columbia). Why are they here? They are not refugees or asylum seekers. They have no historic ties with Britain. They are not from the EU or the Commonwealth and they don't even speak the same language. Do they also have forged stamps in their passports?

Terry, Bournemouth,

Despite the fact that these people may be hard working, we have had over 1 million enter our country and take up jobs, housing, medical resources and other services that were meant for our own inhabitants. No country can sustain an influx of newcomers like this, and ours is a country of very limited space. We should indeed be encouraging our own people to take up those jobs and perform them to the best of their ability, instead welcoming a massive influx of foreign labour which we do not need and have no space for. We have to severely restrict immigration.

CA, Manchester, England

To J Boyle of Derby - so any young, fit and healthy person of working age, who isn't white but was born British or have acquired British Citizenship needn't make the effort to make a positive contribution to society? The colonisation that occurred some 200 years ago have given rise to non-whites who have British Citizenship. Some of them actually pay their taxes to this country. It is those who can work but won't work that we should be converned about, never mind what skin colour they have.

Gloria Yang, London, UK

Everybody is gone love today gone love today gone love today.

I challenge everyone to be pragmatic and not prejudicial, for a second forget all the perception of them and us and answer

How do these immigrants effect you personaly? and dont tell me education or nhs, give me an example.

Why worry dudes? why worry, just love today and love yourself and let it be.

Mika, England,

I'm fed up with the situation in this country. I'm a hard working 24 year old, with a Bachelor of Science Degree and a Masters Degree. Finding work hasn't been a problem for me, but even so, affording to live somewhere is difficult. I have to face up to paying out well over half of my after tax earnings in rent and council tax, this, after nearly a quarter is taken in income tax.

Then, we see plenty of immigrants coming in to the country, being given benefits left right and centre, and undercutting english people.

Make no mistake, bosses may say they work harder, but they convieniently forget to mention how much less they are paid. Why are they paid so much less? Because British workers need more money, why? Because of the cost of living in this country [hence my first point].

This country needs to look after ITS citizens first and foremost, sort out the housing market - there ISNT a shortage of houses, just far too many sitting empty because they're too expensive to rent/buy.

Phil Burton, Walsall, West Midlands

We need to sort out the cost of living in this country. It's become far too disproportionate - people in average 'well' paid jobs dont get benefits, yet struggle to rent or buy. Council and Income tax is far too high in these brackets. So, those with lesser jobs - how can we expect them to cope? This is why there is now a gap in the market that eastern europeans have filled.

The sooner we force house prices down, force rent down, force council & income tax down until they are at a stage proportional to peoples earning - the better. We would then see a much more balanced economy where english workers can get by on the lesser jobs that are now being filled by economic migrants.

We have a group of people in this country who dont work because the only work they can get isn't well paid enough, so they'd rather sit at home and take benefit, and that gap has been filled by cheaper migrant workers who also take benefits! NO WONDER TAXES ARE GOING UP!

Phil Burton, Walsall, West Midlands

Surpriya, from Switzerland, how can you say we're xenophobic?

It's nothing to do with race or nationality. It's about the economic state of this country where benefits are being paid to economic migrants and to unemployed who are unemployed because of the migrants! What an absurd situation for this country to be in. Then you have to take in to account the state of the housing, education and health services in this country, and you might just begin to understand how the people of this country feel.

And Besides, aren't switzerland one of the most stringent countries in the world when it comes to migrant workers? If so, your country has got it right, and therefore you do not see the problems we have here, let alone comprehend them.

Phil Burton, Walsall, West Midlands

What exactly are we paying MPs and the Government for?
I think the 'ordinary' person in the street could do a far better job. No point in saying "sorry" when the taxpaying residents of UK suffer in terms of overpopulation, lack of NHS and other services, job losses etc. etc. not to meantion the continuous feelings of those who are victim to these retrospective 'errors of judgement' by those whose responsibility it is to administrate on behalf of the country. Who is accountable? and ....What can be done to reasonably and carefully remedy the situation?

Tarni, London, UK

'Not Fit for Purpose'' is a phrase that could be usefully used to describe this government, we got used to quick easy statements from Blair on how to correct any and all societies ills, this is continuing under Brown, from his jobs for the English (not possible under EU rules) to returning foreign ex-cons to their country, (not possible for most under Human Rights laws) and if from an EU country, just useless expense as they have the right to return

Michael Rudd, Barking, Essex

Send the immigrants home. Sack the Socialists who have tried to buy votes by encouraging immigration.
Trouble is brewing and its going to erupt in a bad way unless the white indigenous population merely hand over their Country to waves of new immigrants.
Why are the Politicians so afraid of speaking the truth about the public feeling that they are encountering?
The Race Relations industry must be laughing their socks off. They can call any politician who objects to immigration a racist and that defeats any arguement the politician was about to put forward.

Riley, Kyiv, Ukraine

But how can we trust these figures? When the government bases them on an "estimate"

This is no way to run a country. We have absolutely no idea who is in or out?

Smith should resign.

Emily Stevens, Ealing,

The hidden costs of crime etc are openly discussed. What about the hidden benefit of these economic migrants. What state would our economy be in if these hard working people were not doing the work they are doing.

There is no excuse for any healthy, young white male or female not having a job in this country. Social Security payments should be time limited 3 months and then entitlement needs to be proven.

If you are claiming benefit you should have access to an office where you can apply for vacancies and it should be mandatory that you attend a minimum number of hours each week or no benefit.

I am ashamed to be British when I see the attitude of some young people to work and to then see then being abusive to these hard working people

J Boyle, Derby,

Can we have a referendum on it, or will it be settled by war?

Eugene, Chester, England

Yes Robert of Manchseter, among the new immigrants to Britain are to be found very many racists, I notice the worsening situation every time I visit Britain. Those from Eastern Europe whether blonde or not, think they have more right to be in Britain than people of African descent who were born there! There is a clear recipe for disaster at some point, I fear.

Yolande M. Agble, Rego Park Queens, USA NY

If the indigenous poulationwas motivated to work by less generous welfare apyouts, this situation would not arise. Eastern europeans are brought up to work hard to survive: our citizens know that if they don't work they will still have enough money to drink, smoke, gamble and have holidays. The answer isn't rocket science - a lot less carrot and a lot more stick. Vegetable picking and labouring jobs are not highly skilled but are hard work. British workers would rateher sign on.

carole chapman, corridonia, italy

I know there are members of the indigenous population who legitimately cannot work but i know from experience there are far too many sitting at home refusing to get jobs because the state gives them more in benefits than they can earn. We should make these people face up to their societal responsibilities, get some skills and start contributing. The same applies to migrants who come over for a better life. They should be given the tools to work and support themselves in the long term and create that better life. Good on those who are prepared to work hard in both the migrant and indigenous population, let's hope they can get the support they need if they ever need to use it.

Al, Essex,

I work for a major transatlantic corporation and have occasion to visit our UK branches.An opinion widely held among our Branch managers is that our British workers are slovenly and lazy in comparison to recently hired Polish and other offshore arrivals from Eastern Europe. We pay equivalent union rates throughout our industry and offfer substansial benefit packages. British workers are more interested in the tea-breaks than they are in the job and given a choice we will hire European personnel as a first priority.

Ann Maxton, Toronto, Ontario

We are being swamped by these immigrants when we already have many of our citizens needing employment. The latter will be left on benefit for years and wont obtain the oppurtunity to gain work if the Eu peoples continue to arrive in their droves. This impact is playing on our social services and the strain must be immense that is why I feel the government is forever topping up the coffers for health, education and policing. We must close our doors now and look after our own citizens, if in time we need outsiders to fill vacancies then do it fairly by a quota system, then no one will complain.

Bugsy, Burley-in-Wharfedale, England

This is reverse temperance at work: take a questionable economic benefit today in exchange for a cultural, political and economic disaster tomorrow.

Bill, Alabama, USA

don`t worry,be happy.we all gonna die anyway and end up beeing eaten by worms,and for these lovely creatures we all taste lovely, foreigners and natives both are a proper slap up meal to them.leave that mental narrow cage of your own,and open your eyes to other countries and you will see that foreigners represent a large parte of the population in most western countries,it `s not only a british problem,it`s not even a problem,it`s just matter of fact.it`s also a fair price that the west has to pay for colonising other countries in the past,and for settling their Multinational brands in this countries in order to explore cheap labour(sometimes infant labour as well) and natural ressourses.
what goes around comes around.

ricky, lisbon, portugal

Mr Broon created 600,000 non-jobs in the civil service when he came to power. Does anyone think the public are better served? However the Labour Party then used the excuse of a labour shortage to import record numbers of immigrants.
Can anyone explain why one third of all doctors who have just completed their training in Britain (at a cost of £250,000 each, not costed into the report) are unable to find a job because their places have been filled by immigrant doctors? Overseas countries are denied medical skills when doctors emigrate to Britain, and British doctors are denied work. The lunatics are in charge of the British asylum, although for the Labour party the object is clear - a recent survey showed that 50% of immigrants will vote Labour, with only 10% voting Tory.

TG, Newark,

The fact we have a skills gap I think show up the lack of investment in training over the last three decades. Given the modern obsession with getting people attending university and getting largely pointless degrees, no wonder we have a skills gap. I do not have a degree however, I am a car mechanic and I would argue that my skill is more useful than someone with a media studies degree. Education should impart practical skills as well, not everyone is academically orientated. Perhaps if the education system took this into account then we would not have a skills gap. Also companies seem reluctant to train people since there is a ready source of slaves to be exploited from Eastern Europe.

Lewis Johnston, Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland

The immigrants solve the labour "shortage" because they are willing to take abuse for low wages and they submite thenselfs to live in rat holes. The locals don't.

Fabio C, London, UK

Motivated immigrants fill skills gap and solve labour shortages
.
Or more accurately
.
Motivated immigrants fill jobs that don't pay enough to live on.

John Jones, Greater Manchester,

j, london, i feel very privileged i bet you do,how much do you get paid for your PROfessional services , i am now getting made redundant for the third time in 10 years,each job being paid less than the previous,low wages poor jobs,all we brits want are good safe jobs,why should we have to do low paid jobs for people who are well over paid,and expect the unemployed to clean there homes

neil skelmersdale, skem,

Migrants everywhere tend to be harder working and more ambitious than the locals: in Australia the government is delighted that a lot of the skills needed are being filled by UK migrants...

Ironic isn't it? And makes you wonder why governments are so blinkered that they can''t work out why these things happen: what is the number? 350,000 UK citizens a year leaving the place for a better life? (I left in 1960...)

Gerry Watts, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

If they didn,t live 40 or so in a small terraced house they wouldn,t be able to live on the meagre wages they get paid and still afford to send money back to Poland, maybe councils should be charging them more council tax?

derek james, gosport, uk

I also wonder why Britain needs to import workers with our army of unemployed.

While skills may be an issue, I don't think it is the whole story. At the moment I employ a cleaning lady from Ecuador, who holds a university degree. While I feel very privileged to be able to employ someone like that to clean my house, I do not see why Britons on the dole cannot perform the same function.

As I see it there is only one difference (apart from education) between the my cleaning lady and Britons of able body and mind not willing to pick up a broom. My clean lady takes pride in seeking new opportunities through work and helping her family in Ecuador to lead a better life (they do not have the luxury of the dole in Ecuador)

While my cleaning lady is a great example, she is not alone. I work for a professional services firm in Central London. When I walk into the office before 6:30 a.m. there is a small army of Colombian immigrants just finishing their shift cleaning the office.

J, London,

What an appalling comment on the state of large numbers of the indigenous population, unskilled, uneducated, and unemployable.
Millions of them.
Who is responsible for this?

edwina rigby, blackburn, England

"labour shortages"? Ahem, but we have over five million people on various unemployment benefits and people are actually arguing that there are "labour shortages"? Where have all the serious people gone?

Stalinst figures like these can only claim the facade of truth in a defeated country. Like the Roman, I see the river Tiber awashing a people that has lost its nerve.

Lee, London, UK

Alarmed by the plainly xenophobic tone of the comments your readers sent in, i was hesitant ( and for some time, plainly terrified) to visit Britain. Having done so twice recently, I was overwhelmed by the unfailing courtesy and friendliness we encountered. Clearly your bloggers with their hatred of foreigners don't represent Britain. thank god for that and what a pernicious thing the internet is if it lends a voice to the nastiest, most prejudiced and rather ignorant sections of society.

Supriya, Basel, Switzerland

My neighbour is an Iraqi. He is quite a nice person in some respects, however he says openly that he hates black people, was driving around in his own car while still taking driving lessons, asked me if I have AIDS purely because I'm gay (and clearly considers me to be inferior because of that) and he has been involved in numerous fights.

So yes there are big issues related to some newcomers who find themselves in Britain and have to fit into our system.

On the other hand he is very hard working, he works seven nights a week in a takeaway.

Robert, manchester,