The claim that ‘no one voted for mass immigration’ has been heard for decades. Is it true? Here are extracts from the manifestos of the victorious party in each of the general elections from 1964 to 2024.
The figures given are official government statistics. They should, perhaps, not be taken too literally. In 2006 the home secretary John Reid admitted that there were then around 400,000 illegal immigrants in Britain, but he acknowledged the true figure would never be known.

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1964 – Labour manifesto: ‘Labour accepts that the number of immigrants entering the United Kingdom must be limited. Until a satisfactory agreement covering this can be negotiated with the Commonwealth a Labour Government will retain immigration control.’
Immigration in last full year of government: 206,000.

1966 – Labour manifesto: ‘In the field of immigration, we shall continue realistic controls, flexibly administered, combined with an imaginative and determined programme to ensure racial equality. Incitement to racial hatred has been outlawed, and financial support given to the positive work of promoting racial harmony.’
Immigration in last full year of government: 206,000.

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1970 – Conservative manifesto: ‘We will establish a new single system of control over all immigration from overseas … We believe it right to allow an existing Commonwealth immigrant who is already here to bring his wife and young children to join him in this country. But for the future, work permits will not carry the right of permanent settlement for the holder or his dependants. Such permits as are issued will be limited to a specific job in a specific area for a fixed period, normally twelve months…
‘These policies mean that future immigration will be allowed only in strictly defined special cases. There will be no further large scale permanent immigration.’
Immigration in last full year of government: 196,000.

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Feb 1974 – Labour manifesto: ‘A Labour Government will … review the law of nationality so that our immigration policies are based on citizenship, and in particular to eliminate discrimination on grounds of colour.’
Immigration in last full year of government: 184,000.

Oct 1974 – Labour manifesto: ‘It was a Labour Government which … legislated against racial discrimination … We oppose all forms of racial discrimination and colonialism.’
Immigration in last full year of government: 187,000.

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1979 – Conservative manifesto: ‘Firm immigration control for the future is essential if we are to achieve good community relations. It will end persistent fears about levels of immigration and will remove from those settled, and in many cases born here, the label of “immigrant”.’
Immigration in last full year of government: 201,000.

1983 – Conservative manifesto: ‘Since 1979, immigration for settlement has dropped sharply to the lowest level since control of immigration from the Commonwealth began more than twenty years ago. By passing the British Nationality Act, we have created a secure system of rights and a sound basis for control in the future; and we will continue to pursue policies which are strict but fair.’
Immigration in last full year of government: 250,000.

1987 – Conservative manifesto: ‘Immigration for settlement is now at its lowest level since control of Commonwealth immigration first began in 1962. Firm but fair immigration controls are essential for harmonious and improving community relations.
‘We will tighten the existing law to ensure that the control over settlement becomes even more effective…
‘We are tackling the problem of those who fraudulently pose as refugees and who seek to exploit Britain’s long tradition of giving refuse to the victims of persecution.’
Immigration in last full year of government: 329,000.

1992 – Conservative manifesto: ‘An increasing number of would-be immigrants from Eastern Europe and other parts of the world seek to abuse our openness to genuine refugees. The number of people seeking refugee status has risen from 5,000 a year to 45,000 over the past four years…
‘In the new Parliament we must therefore reintroduce the Asylum Bill, opposed by Labour and the Liberal Democrats, to create a faster and more effective system of determining who are genuine political refugees, and who are not.’
Immigration in last full year of government: 318,000.

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1997 – Labour manifesto: ‘Every country must have firm control over immigration and Britain is no exception. All applications, however, should be dealt with speedily and fairly. There are, rightly, criteria for those who want to enter this country to join husband or wife. We will ensure that these are properly enforced. We will, however, reform the system in current use to remove the arbitrary and unfair results that can follow from the existing “primary purpose” rule…
‘We will ensure swift and fair decisions on whether someone can stay or go, control unscrupulous immigration advisors and crack down on the fraudulent use of birth certificates.’
Immigration in last full year of government: 479,000.

2001 – Labour manifesto: ‘We can use our sense of fair play and mutual responsibility to be a strong, dynamic, multiracial society held together by strong values.’
Immigration in last full year of government: 589,000.

2005 – Labour manifesto: ‘For centuries Britain has been a home for people from the rest of Europe and further afield. Immigration has been good for Britain. We want to keep it that way. Our philosophy is simple: if you are ready to work hard and there is work for you to do, then you are welcome here…
‘We will ensure that only skilled workers are allowed to settle long-term in the UK, with English language tests for everyone who wants to stay permanently and an end to chain migration.’
Immigration in last full year of government: 567,000.

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2010 – Conservative manifesto: ‘Immigration today is too high and needs to be reduced. We do not need to attract people to do jobs that could be carried out by British citizens, given the right training and support. So we will take steps to take net migration back to the levels of the 1990s – tens of thousands a year, not hundreds of thousands.’
Immigration in last full year of government: 632,000.

2015 – Conservative manifesto: ‘Our plan to control immigration will put you, your family and the British people first. We will reduce the number of people coming to our country with tough new welfare conditions and robust enforcement. We will keep our ambition of delivering annual net migration in the tens of thousands, not the hundreds of thousands.’
Immigration in last full year of government: 772,000.

2017 – Conservative manifesto: ‘Thanks to Conservatives in government, there is now more control in the system. The nature of the immigration we have – more skilled workers and university students, less abuse and fewer unskilled migrants – better suits the national interest. But with annual net migration standing at 273,000, immigration to Britain is still too high. It is our objective to reduce immigration to sustainable levels, by which we mean annual net migration in the tens of thousands, rather than the hundreds of thousands we have seen over the last two decades.’
Immigration in last full year of government: 788,000.

2019 – Conservative manifesto: ‘Only by establishing immigration controls and ending freedom of movement will we be able to attract the high-skilled workers we need to contribute to our economy, our communities and our public services. There will be fewer lower-skilled migrants and overall numbers will come down.’
Immigration in last full year of government: 1,441,000.

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2024 – Labour manifesto: ‘People who have come to the UK to work make a substantial contribution to our economy, our public services, and our communities. But under the Conservatives, our economy has become overly dependent on workers from abroad to fill skills shortages. As a result, we have seen net migration reach record highs; more than triple the level than at the last election in 2019. The overall level must be properly controlled and managed. Failure to do so reduces the incentives for businesses to train locally. So, Labour will reduce net migration.’
Immigration last year: 898,000.