Net Migration to U.K. Rises to Near Peak, Adding to Brexit Mix
- Figure increases to 333,000, the second-highest on record
- Issue of foreign workers in U.K. part of EU referendum debate
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Net migration to the U.K. rose to 333,000 in 2015, just below the record, increasing pressure on Prime Minister David Cameron a month before the referendum on European Union membership.
The figure represented a 20,000 increase on 2014, the Office of National Statistics said on Thursday. While the number has gone up because of fewer people leaving the U.K. to live abroad rather than more foreigners setting up home in Britain, it has been seized on by government opponents and supporters of an EU exit as evidence that the U.K. is powerless to control its borders.