Home Office estimates 150,000 illegal migrants: Figure is almost half as much as the official total with claims true scale of the influx ‘has been hidden’

‘A damning report claims that illegal immigration in Britain may be running at 150,000 a year.
It says the true scale of those here unlawfully is being hidden because the Home Office estimates have been held back.
The paper also warns of a possible ‘surge’ once legal migration from the EU is curbed following Brexit.
The most recent official figures show net migration – the difference between those leaving and arriving in the UK lawfully – stands at 273,000.
But the report suggests, when illegal migrants are included, this figure may be much higher. Theresa May has pledged to cut immigration to the tens of thousands by 2022.’
Read more: Home Office estimates 150,000 illegal migrants: Figure is almost half as much as the official total with claims true scale of the influx ‘has been hidden’