London, Dec. 9 (ANI): One in ten persons living in Britain was born abroad. With the doubling of proportion (11 per cent) of foreign-born population in the past two decades the number of foreign-born people residing in Britain has reached a record 6.7million, an official estimate has revealed.

According to the Office for National Statistics figures, in 2008 11 per cent of the population were born abroad, up from around 8 per cent in 2001 and 6.7 per cent in 1991.

The Telegraph quoted national statistician Jil Matheson, as saying that Britain’s population may pass the 70 million mark in two decades.

She added that projections based on past demographic trends suggest a 17 per cent increase in population over the next 25 years to hit 71.6 million by 2033.

One of the key factors behind Britain’s population increase has been the flow of migrant workers from Poland, Lithuania and six other Eastern European countries that joined the EU in 2004.

Conservatives have slammed the Gordon Brown Government for failing to control immigration.

Damian Green, the shadow immigration minister, said: “This Government has never had any control over immigration numbers. Some Government insiders have said this was a deliberate plot, others claim it was just a mistake.”

“Either way they have left our borders unprotected. It is one of the biggest policy failures of the Labour years,” he added.

However, British Immigration Minister Phil Woolas said: “These population projections do not take into account the impact of future government policies or those Eastern Europeans who came here, contributed, and are now going home.

“Projections are uncertain. For instance in the 1960s they said our population would reach 76 million by the year 2000, this was off target by 16 million.” (ANI)