THURROCK MEP and Councillor Tim Aker has claimed that the Conservatives’ record on immigration has been even worse than Labour’s, with new figures out today showing that net migration has risen to 298,000.

The numbers are for the year ending September 2014 and above the number when David Cameron became Prime Minister in 2010.

Mr Aker, who is also standing for the Thurrock seat in May’s general election, said: “The Conservatives came to power promising to bring net migration down to tens of thousands. They have failed and instead immigration is running higher under them than under Labour.

“Thurrock voters will want to know why the Tories fed the electorate a pack of lies, promising a crackdown on immigration they knew they could never deliver.

“The reality is that inside the EU no government can control the numbers coming into Britain. That is why it is absolutely crucial that in May as many UKIP MPs are elected as possible, including here in Thurrock, to send a very clear message: enough is enough. It is time to take back control of our borders.”