U.K. to see population surge over 50 years

LONDON, May 6 (UPI) -- British Conservatives are proposing a "tariff" on immigration based on a forecast showing England's population growing by a third over the next 50 years.

Conservative lawmakers obtained figures from the Office for National Statistics predicting England's population growing from the current 50 million to some 68 million in 2056.

"This demonstrates the real pressure public services are being put under as a result of Labor's immigration policy," said Shadow Immigration Minister Damian Green.

The Daily Telegraph said Tuesday the projections would make England the most densely populated major nation in Europe.

Along with the London area, most of the growth is forecast for the areas east and southwest of London. Scotland would remain about the same while Wales could see a 15-percent increase in population and Northern Ireland 19 percent.