Labour has been urged to carry out an emergency census as soon as next year to tackle the rising threat of religious extremism.
A leading think tank has urged the Government to make the move to account for massive waves of migration that brought 3.9 million people to Britain.
Policy Exchange argues that the population surge, dubbed the “Boriswave” after Boris Johnson’s New Plan for Immigration, has placed significant pressure on housing, public services and community cohesion.
Its report also raises serious concerns over persistent forms of ethnic and religious segregation in the UK – which contribute towards the threat of Islamist extremism.
Net migration reached a record 944,000 in the year to March 2023 thanks to the “wave” – but it came just too late for the 2021 census to record.
The report has received backing from across the board – led by Tory ex-Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi and Blue Labour pioneer Lord Glasman.
Since June 2021, Britain’s population has expanded by 3.4 per cent, equivalent to adding the combined populations of Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool.
Certain cities have experienced growth of up to 10 per cent within just three years.
Mr Zahawi said: “Public concerns over the impacts of migration on public services, social cohesion, and national identity must not be shunned – a new census would provide civil society with fresh population data which deepens our understanding of how radically the situation has changed on the ground.”
Since June 2021, Britain’s population has expanded by 3.4 per cent
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The former Chancellor believes updated figures would give the Government, local authorities and other agencies the information needed to grasp the full scale of population changes.
Policy Exchange has proposed modelling the emergency census on a similar mid-decade exercise conducted in 1966.
That earlier census was carried out due to concerns about Commonwealth migration levels and internal population movement from northern to southern England.
The proposed 2026 census would survey a national sample of 10 per cent of the population.
READ MORE ON BRITAIN’S BORISWAVE:
‘Public concerns over the impacts of migration on public services, social cohesion, and national identity must not be shunned,’ Nadhim Zahawi said
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Lord Glasman said: “In the interests of protecting critical infrastructure and identifying risks of civil unrest, the country needs up-to-date population data which provides vital on-the-ground insights.
“If we are truly serious about integration as a society, fresh information is needed on forms of neighbourhood segregation and levels of English language proficiency in local communities. I strongly encourage the Labour Government to take note of the social justifications for an emergency 2026 census in England.”
The Labour peer emphasised that accurate data would help identify potential risks to critical infrastructure.
He also stressed the importance of understanding neighbourhood segregation patterns across the country.
Tracking English language skills within local communities would be essential for any serious integration efforts, according to Lord Glasman.
Full censuses would be conducted in five designated “special study areas” selected from various regions experiencing substantial population increases.
Preston tops the list of special study areas, with its population climbing 10.2 per cent from 147,786 to 162,864 between 2021 and 2024.
This growth rate nearly doubled the 5.4 per cent increase recorded over the previous decade.
The city’s Muslim population rose from 11.2 per cent to 16.1 per cent between the last two censuses, while Christian residents fell from 61 per cent to 47.6 per cent.
Middlesbrough, where half of all neighbourhoods are classified as highly deprived, saw four per cent population growth.
Leicester experienced 5.8 per cent growth and displays stark religious segregation, with some districts 73.3 per cent Hindu and others 74 per cent Muslim.
Luton’s population grew 6.3 per cent to 239,090, with Muslims comprising nearly a third of residents.
Bournemouth rounds out the five areas, gaining nearly 9,000 residents through migrant arrivals.