A new report reveals that mass migration has significantly increased rent costs across England, with the capital city of London seeing the most severe impact. The study, published by British think tank Onward, estimates that immigration since 2001 has added an average of £132 per month to rental costs in England—and a staggering £216 per month in London.
The research links this trend to open-border policies introduced by former Prime Minister Tony Blair and continued under both Labour and Conservative governments. Since 2001, an estimated 5.8 million migrants have settled in England, creating demand that has outpaced housing supply. Onward’s model isolates immigration’s impact by accounting for other market factors like income and cultural shifts.
Their analysis shows immigration caused a 10 percent rise in rent since 2001, a 6 percent increase since the post-2014 migration surge, and a 3.7 percent jump following the so-called “Boris Wave” after Brexit. Under Prime Minister Boris Johnson, immigration laws were further liberalized despite previous promises to reduce numbers.
According to the report, the failure of successive governments to meet home-building targets has compounded the housing crisis. “The Government must confront the reality that high net migration, combined with a housing market that fails to deliver homes where people want to live, is worsening the housing shortage,” Onward stated.
The findings echo warnings from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who has long tied mass immigration to housing shortages and overwhelmed public services. Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick acknowledged that “mass migration is making young people poorer.” However, critics noted that many of the policies driving up migration occurred under Conservative rule.
Reform UK Chairman Zia Yusuf accused Jenrick of political posturing and warned that the Conservative Party would revert to centrist immigration policies if returned to power.
