Nigel Farage said that the Conservatives could have prevented net migration from exceeding 50,000 annually after the UK exited the European Union.
Ex-leader of the Brexit Party says the government is “ignoring the will of the people” amid record high levels of net migration.
The Office for National Statistics released official figures yesterday showing net migration of 606,000 for last year, roughly three times the normal pre-Brexit figure of between 200,000 and 250,000.
Mr. Farage told Sky News, “Yes, of course. I suggested before the EU referendum that net migration could be brought down to 50,000.” In a word, yes. Fifty thousand would have been possible. There is no doubt that we could have reached $50,000 annually if they had put me in charge.
“The issue we’re facing at the moment is… I wanted to shake up British politics, I stated 10 years ago. Because Parliament and the Government have rejected the will of the people, we have experienced the earthquake and are still feeling its aftershocks.
“They have ignored what was said in that Brexit referendum, and so now a bigger question emerges as to how we are going to change politics in this country.”
Yesterday, Rishi Sunak stated the figures were “just too high,” and he reaffirmed his resolve to lower them today. He disputed the idea that international migration was out of hand.