Is Britain too full to help?

It can feel like the UK is well populated, but actually urban areas cover just 10% of England and Wales(1); we may be living in crowded cities, but we are not living in a crowded and urbanised country. Part of the reason for this may be that less than 1% of the population own 50 per cent of the UK’s rural land(2).

There are also significant regional variations. The Office for National Statistics has projected that without EU migration, the overall population in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and some northern regions of England will stop growing and may even fall over the next 20 years(3). This can cause economic decline.

It can sometimes feel that the refugee crisis is too big to solve. Britain can’t help everyone, but we can do more to help – and every man, woman and child who finds safety here is someone who isn’t living in fear of their life.

(1) https://www.ons.gov.uk/…/characteristicsofbuiltu…/2013-06-28
(2) https://www.countrylife.co.uk/…/who-really-owns-britain-202…
(3) https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/…/eea-workers-uk-l…