Does a country have the right to determine the composition of its population? If so, how should it do so? These questions are hard to answer. That is presumably why the British government has run what amounts to a “stealth” immigration policy. But that approach is now unworkable. The time has come for a debate. That debate should focus on whether restricting immigration is legitimate, desirable and feasible. Only then can one decide what policy to pursue.

The UK government is in difficulties on this topic, for three reasons. First, the inflow has been substantial. Between 1997 and 2006, gross immigration was 4.8m and net immigration 1.6m, or 7.8 per cent and 2.6 per cent of the 2006 population, respectively. The latest projections suggest that the population might rise by 4.4m between 2006 and 2016, with immigration generating close to half of this increase.