Net migration rose to 606,000 in the year to December 2022, official statistics show.
The figure overtakes the previous post-war high of 504,000in the year to June last year – and comes despite a Tory 2019 manifesto commitment to “bring overall numbers down”.
Net migration is the annual number of people arriving in the UK when both immigration and emigration are taken into account.
The figures, published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) this morning, show that total long-term immigration was estimated at around 1.2 million in 2022, while emigration was 557,000.
Most people arriving to the UK last year were non-EU nationals (925,000), followed by EU (151,000) and British (88,000), the ONS said.
However, the ONS said that despite the rise in immigration last year, its long-term international migration estimates “suggest a slowing in growth over the most recent quarters”.
“This may reflect the temporary nature of these world events, as well as beginning to see higher numbers of international students emigrate. We will continue to monitor these patterns in the coming months.”
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The body said it was a “unique year” for migration due to “world events” including the war in Ukraine and unrest in Hong Kong.
“Our estimates also show that levels of immigration from non-EU international students, and their dependents, remain high,” it said.
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The ONS said the rise could be attributed to increased demand post-pandemic, as well as delayed travel and the new graduate visa route, which allows students to apply to work in the UK for a period of time after completing their studies.
The King has warned of the “dangerous re-emergence of antisemitism” and met with Holocaust survivors on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
During a visit to the Jewish Community Centre of Krakow – which he opened in 2008 – King Charles said Holocaust Memorial Day “is a moment when we recall the depths to which humanity can sink when evil is allowed to flourish”.
The King then joined survivors and other dignitaries at Auschwitz, marking the first time that a serving British monarch has visited the concentration camp where more than a million people were murdered at the hands of the Nazi regime.
Before he laid a candle as the UK’s representative at the ceremony, three Holocaust survivors shared their stories, with Tova Friedman saying she felt it was “normal” that “as a Jewish child they all had to die”.
Janina Iwanska also said: “It is difficult to calculate all the people killed here.”
Kate, the Princess of Wales, will also join Prince William at a Holocaust commemoration ceremony in London later on Monday.
The royals will pay their respects alongside Sir Keir Starmer and hear survivors and campaigners speak.
‘Remembering the evils of the past remains vital’
Speaking in Krakow earlier on Monday, the King said: “In a world that remains full of turmoil and strife, and has witnessed the dangerous re-emergence of antisemitism, there can be no more important message.
“As the number of Holocaust survivors regrettably diminishes with the passage of time, the responsibility of remembrance rests far heavier on our shoulders and on those of generations yet unborn.
“The act of remembering the evils of the past remains a vital task, and in so doing, we inform our present and shape our future.
“Here in Krakow, from the ashes of the Holocaust, the Jewish community has been reborn.”
King’s poignant journey to Auschwitz a display of his lifelong commitment to Holocaust survivors
The King had a clear purpose as he made his first visit to Auschwitz.
Remembrance – but also the high cost of forgetting.
It was right at the heart of a speech he gave at a Jewish community centre in Krakow, which he opened in 2008; a reminder of his enduring work to champion religious tolerance and interfaith dialogue, ever mindful of what he can do with his global profile.
In the auditorium at Auschwitz, he was one of the most recognisable attendees. But as is so often the case with the Royal Family, his intention was to use his presence to draw even greater attention to those who really matter, the survivors.
The Holocaust Educational Trust described his attendance as elevating the event on a global stage, a signal to the world of its significance.
It was a display of his lifelong commitment to humanise and give a voice to those who 80 years ago were so savagely dehumanised at the hands of the Nazis.
The King went on to say there is “no greater symbol” of that rebirth than the centre he was speaking at.
“In a post-Holocaust world, projects such as this, this centre, is how we recover our faith in humanity,” he said.
“They also show us there is much work still to be done,” he said, adding that it’s important not just to remember the past, “but to use it to inspire us to build a kinder and more compassionate world for future generations”.
“This remains the sacred task of us all,” he added.
Later, the King joined world leaders like Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Auschwitz, as those who lived through the Holocaust shared their stories of survival.
‘I remember watching children driven to their deaths’
Survivor Janina Iwanska said that while the camp was originally for political prisoners, in March 1942, “the operators of the camp started building gas chambers and the crematorium”.
“It was no longer a POW camp, a Soviet camp – this is when the killing machine started its operation,” she added.
“It is difficult to calculate all the people killed here.”
Fellow survivor Tova Friedman also told those in attendance: “I remember as a five-year-old child watching from my hiding place as all my little friends were rounded up and driven to their deaths while the heartbreaking cries of their parents fell on deaf ears.
“After all the children were gone and the courtyard was empty – I thought ‘am I the only Jewish child left in the world?'”
She recalled that while held in Auschwitz, she “was being beaten mercilessly by a guard for fidgeting” after “not being able to stand still for hours,” as she looked into her mother’s eyes.
“She was pleading with me ‘don’t cry’. And I didn’t. At five I had the rebellion in me that I would not let them know the pain they are inflicting on me,” Ms Friedman added.
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2:15
Holocaust survivor Tova Friedman: ‘Very few of us are left’
More than a million people were murdered at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp during the Second World War, most of whom were Jews but also Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war and other nationalities.
Six million Jewish men, women and children died during the Holocaust.
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3:31
‘I lost 41 members of my family’
Commemorations at the former death camp began earlier when Poland’s President Andrzej Duda joined Auschwitz survivors laying wreaths and candles at the site.
Their tributes were left at a reconstruction of the Death Wall, the site where several thousand people, mainly Polish political prisoners, were executed.
In a speech, Mr Duda said “we Poles are the guardians of memory today” and had a duty to maintain the life stories of the survivors.
Members of one of Scotland’s largest paedophile gangs – who ran a “monstrous” child sex abuse ring in a Glasgow drugs den – have each been sentenced to an order for lifelong restriction.
Warning: This story contains graphic content and details of sexual abuse
An order for lifelong restriction (OLR) is a life-long sentence usually reserved for the most serious court cases in Scotland that do not involve murder.
During a two-month trial, a court heard how three children were introduced to a world of Class A drugs and alcohol where they were regularly exposed to sexual abuse and violence.
A jury heard how there had been “rape nights” at the hands of the heroin addicts.
The youngsters, who referred to the location of their abuse as the “beastie house”, claimed money was exchanged after the heinous sex attacks while some of the attackers laughed.
Judge Lord Beckett described the trial at the High Court in Glasgow in 2023 as “unpleasant and shocking”.
He added: “It plunges to the depths of human depravity.”
Owens, Lannery, Williams and Brannan were also found guilty of attempting to murder a child by trapping them in various places including a microwave and a cupboard.
In addition, Owens, Williams and Brannan were convicted of drugs offences.
All seven were handed an OLR and placed on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely when they appeared back in the dock on Monday.
Owens was sentenced to a minimum of 20 years behind bars; Lannery 17 years; Williams 14 years; Brannan 15 years; Forbes eight years; Watson nine-and-a-half years; and Clark 10 years.
If ever paroled from jail following the “punishment part” of their sentence, they will be subject to risk management for the rest of their life.
If they go on to commit another crime once released back into the community, they will face being recalled back to prison.
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Sentencing them, Lord Beckett warned: “What you – and the community – should understand is that you may never be released.”
The judge added: “This court is used to hearing about some of the worst examples of human behaviour but such depravity as you displayed against young children is beyond my experience.
“As was said in the aftermath of the trial, this is not typical behaviour. Such extreme abuse of children seems to be rare.
“In contrast to your awful abuse, the trial also heard evidence demonstrating the best of human qualities.
“[The] children showed extraordinary fortitude, strength and stamina undergoing months and years of interviews as investigators struggled to discover and comprehend the full extent of what you had done to them.”
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3:13
November 2023: Victims faced ‘unimaginable abuse’
‘No remorse’
An eighth person, Marianne Gallagher, was convicted of assault but was cleared of all other charges.
The 40-year-old, who hit and kicked a child, had her sentence deferred for a year for good behaviour and was released on bail.
Returning to the dock earlier in January 2025, it was noted by Lord Beckett that Gallagher had shown “no remorse”.
The judge told Gallagher, who gave birth to a son last year and continues to struggle with addiction: “If you offend further, you will find yourself in pretty severe trouble.”
A further three people – Mark Carr, Richard Gachagan, and Leona Laing – were acquitted by the jury.
‘Off the scale devious’ argument dismissed
The offences, involving the children, happened between 2012 and 2019.
Defence lawyers had argued the children may not have been telling the truth, but prosecutors said it would be “off the scale devious” to make up crimes of the “most monstrous kind”.
Charges related to causing the children to take part in seances and witchcraft were dropped by the prosecution, and all 11 of those who stood trial were acquitted of killing dogs.
Following the gang’s conviction in November 2023, the NSPCC’s development director Matt Forde told Sky News it was a “truly shocking” case.
Mr Forde added: “You can only imagine the terror and miserable existence that these children had.”
Police Scotland said more than 1,000 lines of inquiry were progressed by the investigation team.
Detective Inspector Lesley-Ann McGee said: “I hope today’s outcome can help the young victims in moving forward.
“This was a long, complex and challenging investigation for a team of officers and staff who had to work through the most harrowing evidence to bring those responsible for these despicable crimes to justice.”
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) commended the bravery of the young victims.
Katrina Parkes, Scotland’s procurator fiscal for high court sexual offences, added: “Their strength has resulted in the conviction and sentence of their abusers for these heinous crimes.
“Prosecuting this case has been complex and a challenging task for our experienced prosecutors.
“Consideration of the trauma these children suffered was utmost while working to secure these convictions.”
Colin Anderson, independent chair of Glasgow’s Child Protection Committee, said he has initiated the process of undertaking a case learning review.
The overall purpose of a learning review is to improve and develop systems to better protect children and young people.
But prosecutors said the 11cm wound was too deep to have been caused accidentally, and the knife must have been “held firmly” at the time.
The 14-year-old died at the scene.
Vickers had been drinking wine, watching the Euros football tournament on television and had smoked cannabis that day.
Scarlett’s mother, Sarah Hall, was making spaghetti bolognese for the family and, when Scarlett came down from her bedroom, they all started throwing grapes at each other for fun.
She said she then snipped at her partner with tongs and when he complained that it hurt, their daughter made reference to him being “wimpy”.
Ms Hall said she turned away to serve the meal and then heard Scarlett say “ow” and immediately saw that their only child was bleeding heavily.
She made a 999 call and told the operator they had been “messing about” and that her partner had thrown something at their daughter “and he didn’t realise”.
Prosecutor Mark McKone KC told jurors paramedic Andrew Crow said initially Vickers and Ms Hall were unsure how the injury occurred.
“Then Scarlett’s mum said that Scarlett and her dad were play-fighting and ‘chucking’ knives at each other,” Mr McKone continued.
“Mr Crow said that the defendant picked up a knife off the side counter of the kitchen and said ‘We were messing, we were play-fighting and she lunged towards me and it just went in’.”
Giving evidence in his defence, Vickers claimed he had swiped what he thought were tongs along a work surface, into Scarlett’s chest, and didn’t realise it was a knife.
Home Office pathologist Dr Jennifer Bolton told the jury the way the knife went into the teenager’s chest meant it must have been held in a hand, with force.
Scarlett’s mother – the only other person in the kitchen at the time – stood by her partner of 27 years and told the court Vickers loved their daughter and would never harm her.
Mr McKone said the prosecution accepted Vickers was “devastated” and loved his daughter – but the blow could not have been caused by the knife being accidentally swiped across a work surface and so deeply into her body.
Jurors took 13 hours and 21 minutes to convict Vickers of murder by a majority of 10-2, rather than the less serious alternative of manslaughter, or to clear him.
Vickers did not visibly react in the dock, while Ms Hall and other family members in the public gallery looked stunned by the verdict.
Nicholas Lumley KC, defending, had told jurors Vickers had no desire to harm his daughter – and the prosecution did not put forward any motive.
He said Vickers “will bear moral responsibility for his daughter’s death for the rest of his life”.
Mr Lumley added: “However, he denies completely that he did anything unlawful or deliberate to cause that tragic death.”
Detective Superintendent Craig Rudd, of Durham Constabulary, said: “Scarlett Vickers would have celebrated her 16th birthday this year. She had her whole life ahead of her. Yet it was cruelly cut short by her own father – a man who was meant to protect her.
“We may never know why or what caused Simon Vickers to do what he did that night.
“Sadly, today’s verdict will not bring Scarlett back, but he will now face the consequences of his actions.”
Vickers – who had denied both the murder and the manslaughter of his only child – will be sentenced on 10 February.