THE SNP has called on David Cameron to ditch his “fantasy” migration target as the latest statistics showed the net figure stood at 323,000 for the year to September, more than three times higher than the Prime Minister’s goal.
But, on the EU referendum campaign trail, the Conservative leader said he remained “convinced” he could still achieve getting the numbers down to below 100,000.
Speaking in Lancashire, Mr Cameron pointed to the reforms he had won in the EU deal, which were aimed at reducing the pull-factor, and suggested if Britain left the Brussels bloc, then it would be even harder to control migration.
“If we left the EU, the deal that I’ve just negotiated doesn’t stand. So we actually have to accept free movement if we’re in the same position as Norway and we wouldn’t have the welfare restrictions that I’ve just negotiated,” he added.
But Priti Patel, the anti-EU Employment minister, said: "The proposed deal will do nothing to reduce the level of immigration from the EU."
Meantime, Stuart McDonald for the Nationalists claimed that the PM’s target was an unrealistic and unhelpful distraction from developing a fair and sensible immigration policy.
“The UK Government’s net migration target is a fantasy as everybody knows…Instead of pretending the target is achievable or desirable, the Government should abandon this unhelpful distraction and instead pursue a fair and sensible immigration policy that recognises the huge benefits of immigration and includes practical action to deal with the challenges,” explained the Cumbernauld MP.
The SNP’s immigration spokesman accused the Conservative government of “chasing the Ukip vote” and trying to look tough on immigration.
Mr McDonald added: “The SNP want to see a fair and sensible system of managed migration with a measured strategy to make the most of the huge benefits immigration can bring to the UK and Scotland.”
Ukip’s leader Nigel Farage said the figures confirmed that the UK "must leave the European Union to control our borders".
The latest figures show that while net migration to the UK has dipped by 13,000, it remains close to record levels. The 323,000 total is a 31,000 year-on-year increase. The record high of 336,000 was posted in the 12 months to both March and June.
Madeleine Sumption, director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, said sustained high levels of net migration raised the question of "whether we are experiencing a temporary peak or a 'new normal' in the UK".
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