Is immigration the driving force behind Britain’s growth, or pushing the country to its limits? Zoe Gardner and Jonathan Portes go head to head against Matthew Goodwin and Nadhim Zahawi.

906,000. No, that’s not the population of Liverpool, which is 830,000. It’s the net migration figure for the year ending June 2023. 906,000 – three times the annual pre-Brexit level of net migration and nearly 20 times the level of the mid-1990s. Is this really what we want? Is this actually sustainable? Can our society maintain any semblance of social cohesion when more than a Liverpool’s worth of migrants arrives here every year? Can Britain endure the pressure this places on our housing, our schools, our public services?

Yes, it certainly can. And indeed such numbers should be welcomed, argue those in favour of high immigration. Don’t be small-minded, they will contend: we need these people. Their skills and work ethic are essential to economic growth, to the filling of critical job shortages, to keeping Britain vibrant, dynamic and open to new ideas. Without them who will staff our NHS and care homes and build our tech industries?

Chaired by Sarah Montague, presenter of BBC Radio 4’s The World at One, this urgent debate will challenge your thinking and maybe even change your mind.

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