More than half a million immigrants arrived in the UK in the year to June – the highest figure ever recorded.

The 504,000 net figure – equal to a city the size of Liverpool – was swelled by migrants from troubled territories such as Afghanistan and Ukraine, said the Office for National Statistics.

There was also a resumption of travel and students from the Far East.

The figures will intensify the debate over overseas workers and the wider labour market, with calls for more skilled migrants to be allowed to enter the UK, including the EU.

While there are moves to ease the flow of badly-needed workers, the UK government does not want Britain to rejoin the single market.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she wanted to resurrect a repeatedly missed government target to reduce net migration to below 100,000.

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