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Net migration to UK rises to 333,000

Net migration to the UK has increased to the second highest level on record, official figures show.

The figure - the difference between the number of people arriving and leaving the UK - was estimated at 333,000 for the year ending December 2015, up 20,000 on the year before.

Net migration to the UK from the EU was estimated to be 184,000 in 2015, up from 174,000 in 2014.

The figures from the Office for National Statistics are the last to be released before next month's EU referendum.

In 2010, Prime Minister David Cameron promised to reduce the annual level of net migration to below 100,000 - but it is a pledge he has failed to meet.

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Johnson: Migration figures show 'scandal' of politicians' promises

Former London mayor Boris Johnson, a prominent member of the Vote Leave campaign, has said latest migration figures reflect the "scandal" of politicians' promises over immigration.

He told ITV News: "I think they show the scandal of politicians continually promising year after year that they can cut immigration to the tens of thousands when they have absolutely no control providing we remain within the European Union."

"It's only if we vote to leave on June 23 that we can take back control of our immigration from the EU 28 countries and have a sensible policy that is based on the real needs of the UK economy," he added.

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