What do the immigration figures for the UK really show?

Official figures indicate net migration is falling, yet concern among Britons is close to the highest it has been since polling began in 1974

Rolling news coverage of protests outside asylum hotels, a series of government announcements on asylum seekers, and Reform's party conference meant that immigration was once again the political topic of the summer.

In August almost half of Britons (48%) listed immigration as one of the top issues facing the UK. This year has recorded the highest concerns over immigration - outside of one other period during the 2015 Europe migrant crisis - since polling company Ipsos started asking the question in 1974.