A fierce clash erupted on GB News between presenter Matt Goodwin and Lambeth councillor Martin Abrams over Britain’s unprecedented population surge.
The debate centred on whether an annual influx of 700,000 people through immigration represents a sustainable policy.
Matt challenged Abrams directly, asking: “Are you saying adding 700,000 people to the population in a year is acceptable?”
The councillor responded that “immigration fluctuates year by year”, prompting Matt to interject: “Not like this. This is historically unprecedented levels.”
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Matt Goodwin clashed with the Lambeth councillor
The exchange highlighted deep divisions over immigration policy. Matt argued that the left’s solution to demographic challenges through mass immigration creates a “population trap”, asserting: “You talk about childcare and housing.
What the left never talk about is how mass immigration is making those things worse.”
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Matt pressed his argument further, questioning why Britain continues importing workers whilst millions remain economically inactive. “What about the nine million British adults not in work? We’re just going to keep them on the welfare regime while we have mass immigration at the same time?” he asked.
The GB News presenter dismissed suggestions that immigration represents the solution to Britain’s demographic difficulties, noting that “immigrants get older too”.
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Goodwin said the Left are always keen to swerve the real reason behind the issues they point to
His critique extended to the broader impact on public infrastructure and community cohesion.
When Abrams attempted to shift focus to other factors, the GB News star insisted: “I don’t want to make this about childcare.” He maintained that historically unprecedented immigration levels were exacerbating existing pressures on housing and public services rather than alleviating them.
Abrams mounted a robust defence of current immigration levels, attributing Britain’s demographic pressures to decades of policy failures.
“We’ve had 45 years of neoliberalism and 15 years of Conservative Party austerity that has absolutely decimated our public services,” he stated.
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New projections suggest Britain’s population is set to soar
The Lambeth councillor emphasised practical realities, noting: “I’m a councillor in Lambeth and every single day, I see people struggling to put food on the table.” He argued that Britain faces a “demographic crisis” requiring immediate action.
Abrams highlighted declining birth rates and increasing longevity as key factors. “People are deciding not to have children due to the pressures I have mentioned,” he explained, citing personal childcare costs exceeding £100,000 for two children through nursery.
He insisted: “We need people to fill skills shortages to make our country better than it is.
“The heated television exchange occurred against the backdrop of extraordinary demographic shifts revealed by the Office for National Statistics. England and Wales experienced their second-largest yearly population expansion in over seven decades, with numbers swelling by 706,881 to reach 61.8 million by mid-2024.
International migration dominated this growth, contributing 690,147 people to the total increase. The ONS recorded 1,142,303 arrivals against 452,156 departures during the twelve-month period.
These figures follow an even steeper rise of 821,210 the previous year. The combined two-year growth exceeding 1.5 million represents the most substantial increase since records commenced in 1949.
ONS representative Nigel Henretty confirmed: “Net international migration continues to be the main driver of this growth, continuing the long-term trend seen since the turn of the century.”