Figures from the Office of National Statistics show Poles are the largest foreign group living in the UK, overtaking Indians for the first time. The change shows the impact of free movement in the EU following the Eastern European block joining.
Nearly 9 million people living in Britain last year were born aboard. It is equivalent to one in eight born abroad, compared to one in 11, a decade ago. The ONS figures show a total of 831,000 people who were born in Poland, compared to 795,000 people born in India, living in Britain.
The Office for National Statistics said the huge increase in the number of foreign born mothers is attributed to the impact of immigration and because these women have higher levels of fertility than British-born women.
With this new set of figures the only thing that remains to be asked is not can, but when and how. How soon will they embrace upward social mobility to rise above the current level of shop keepers and other menial jobs? When in the future would we have a Polish origined Mayor or even Prime Minister?