Tues 14 Nov 2006

London: global city

David Starkey is joined by Clare Short MP, Chris Bryant MP, Sir Andrew Green (Chairman of Migration Watch UK).

London has become THE world city, with over 2.2 million of its current residents born overseas, according to the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics.

Since Labour came to power the number has risen from 1.68 million, an increase of some 600,000, and the Government admit they have no idea how many non-British born immigrants there are in the UK.

Meanwhile the number of British born Londoners living in the capital has dropped by 155,000. The ONS figures also show that migrants are sending home over £100 billion to their families overseas each year. Working restrictions are due to be imposed on Bulgarians and Romanians when those countries join the EU, and last week the Conservatives announced an annual ceiling on immigration, drastically reducing unskilled workers but allowing highly qualified migrants to settle.

It's often cited as fact that immigration is a boost for the economy, but do the figures to support that claim really add up? Who are the main beneficiaries, and who suffers most from immigration? How do the more established migrant communities feel about the newer migrant groups?