UK population set to grow by 10 million
It has been revealed that the UK population is set to grow by 10 million to a massive 70 million in the short term after a significant increase in immigration. When you also take into account the fact that the population is also older than ever before with a 30% increase in those of pensionable age, totalling 15.6 million people, it's easy to see potential future problems for the UK state benefits system.
Due to the fact that the majority of the increase will come from immigration we will see a short-term rise in benefit payments, investment in public sector services such as schools and further pressure on local authorities. As a consequence we may see a number of potentially controversial moves by the government which could include increasing the pension age, reducing benefits for the middle classes, increasing local and national taxes and other such moves which will ultimately increase the government's income and reduce payouts.
Immigration is set to play a major part in the next general election as internal movement in Europe is effectively free for all and with the UK having one of the more generous benefits systems in the world, the country seems to be attracting more than its fair share of people. However, it is easy to forget the benefits of immigration which will see more and more skilled workers in the UK offering more and more benefit to the UK economy and society as a whole.
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