EU: Britain will have 12 million more migrants by 2060

UP to 30 million people living in the UK will have an ­immigrant background by the middle of this century, according to a European Union population forecast.

Britain is expected to receive more than 12 million more migrants by 2060 Britain is expected to receive more than 12 million more migrants by 2060 [FILE PIC/GETTY]

Britain should brace itself for a population explosion with net immigration of more than 12 million people by 2060, the figures show. And about one in three ­residents will be a first or ­second ­generation immigrant.

The estimates are contained in a document produced by Brussels statistics agency Eurostat entitled: Fewer, Older And Multicultural? Projections Of The EU Populations By Foreign/National Background.

Germany and Spain are the only EU countries forecast to have higher net immigration than the UK.

The report says: “From the results it emerges that the European Union is going to experience unprecedented changes from the point of view of population composition.

“In a few decades, several countries will have to deal with relevant social changes. The growing ­diversity of the European population could therefore be considered a major socio-demographic challenge for the current ­century.”

The projections were made more than a year ago but have not been ­circulated widely outside Brussels and were buried on an obscure part of the Eurostat website.

They ignited fresh concern last night about border ­controls ahead of the ending of visa restrictions for ­Romanians and Bulgarians on Wednesday.

Tory backbencher Anne Main said: “These figures are very worrying. We must learn the lessons after the huge mistakes made by the last Labour government, which totally failed to plan ­migration. They allowed a huge influx which caused a lot of strains on ­communities. We cannot have sustainable development in many parts of the country with immigration on this sort of scale.”

Euro MP Paul Nuttall, deputy leader of the UK Independence Party, said: “These projections are startling and just go to show that unless the Government gets serious about immigration the UK is headed towards severe overcrowding within 50 years.

“It’s surely far better to put in place sensible restrictions now rather than face a situation where the country is bursting at the seams.

“England is already one of the most densely populated countries in the world.

“With people living longer, public services would face an immense, and I dare say, unsustainable strain if we continue with loose borders.

“Unless we want the very social fabric of the UK to change, we must leave the EU and take back control of our borders.”

The document forecast UK net immigration of 12,135,000 between 2008 and 2060.

Separate figures released by Eurostat last month showed that Britain has the fourth fastest-growing pop­ulation in Europe, rising by 6.2 per cent to a record 63.8 million last year. Britain also has the second highest birth rate in the EU after Ireland.

Sir Andrew Green, of the pressure group Migration Watch, said: “It is now undeniable that immigration is having a major impact both on the population and the birth rate of the UK.

“We are a small island. ­England is becoming, with Holland, the most crowded country in Europe.”