UK long-term migration falls, Aston Villa celebrate Birmingham parade

Long-term net migration in the United Kingdom fell to 431,000 in the year ending December 2024, almost half the 860,000 recorded a year earlier, according to provisional figures from the Office for National Statistics. The drop marked the lowest level since 2021, but it still left migration far above the level the Migration Advisory Committee has said would keep population growth roughly flat at about 120,000.

The ONS said the fall was driven mainly by fewer people arriving on work and study visas, with student dependants falling especially sharply after visa rule changes introduced in 2024. The statistical bulletin also said emigration returned to pre-pandemic levels, adding another force behind the decline. Long-term migration covers people entering or leaving the UK for at least 12 months, making it a key measure of structural population change rather than short-term travel.

The numbers were likely to feature heavily in the political debate over immigration because they showed a sharp reversal from the post-pandemic surge, but not a return to the much lower levels many policymakers have argued for. A net figure of 431,000 still pointed to substantial population growth pressure, especially in services, housing and labour supply, even after the steep fall from the previous year’s peak.

While migration dominated the national data, Birmingham filled with football supporters as Aston Villa staged an open-top bus parade through the city centre after their Europa League success. The club said its 3-0 win over SC Freiburg in Istanbul was its first European triumph since 1982 and its first major trophy in 44 years, a claim that framed the celebration as both sporting victory and a piece of club history.

Thousands of fans lined the route as the team returned to the streets around Villa Park and St Paul’s Square, turning the city centre into a homecoming scene for Unai Emery’s side. For Villa, the parade capped a season-defining achievement; for Birmingham, it delivered a rare civic celebration that matched the scale of the club’s long-awaited success.