Emergency census calls after 'mass migration' causes fears for critical infrastructure
A think-tank has suggested there are "significant pressures on housing, public services and community cohesion"
The Government is being urged to conduct an emergency national census in England after reports of "unprecedented levels of mass migration."
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A think tank has suggested the last report, which was published in 2021, is now out-of-date due to rapid population growth.
The Policy Exchange report, backed by former chancellor Nadhim Zahawi and Labour peer Lord Maurice Glasman, says that there are significant pressures on housing, public services and community cohesion.
The report also raises concerns over ethnic and religious segregation in the UK which "contribute towards the threat of Islamist extremism."
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Mr Zahawi wrote: "Massive population growth, spurred by unprecedented levels of mass migration in the last five years or so, makes the case for an emergency census next year inarguable.
"Public concerns over the impacts of migration on public services, social cohesion, and national identity must not be shunned.
"A new census would provide civil society with fresh population data which deepens our understanding of how radically the situation has changed on the ground."
Lord Glasman, who founded Blue Labour, a socially conservative grouping within the Labour Party, said that "in the interests of protecting critical infrastructure and identifying risks of civil unrest, the country needs up-to-date population data which provides vital on-the-ground insights."
He added: “If we are truly serious about integration as a society, fresh information is needed on forms of neighbourhood segregation and levels of English language proficiency in local communities.
"I strongly encourage the Labour Government to take note of the social justifications for an emergency 2026 census in England."
The next census of England and Wales is due to take place in 2031, the Government confirmed earlier this year.
Coinciding with planned censuses in Scotland and Northern Ireland, the survey is due to be the 23rd to take place, having been held every decade since 1801, except in 1941 due to the Second World War.
The survey provides the most accurate estimate of the number of people and households across the country and includes questions on topics such as age, sex, nationality and ethnicity.
Some 97 per cent of households completed the most recent census of England and Wales, while the Covid-19 pandemic was still under way.