Net immigration to the UK rose to 237,000 in 2007, according to official figures published yesterday.

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) said the number was up by 46,000 on 2006 as a result of a fall in the number of people moving out of the UK.

The estimated number of people arriving to live in the UK for 12 months or more was 577,000 in 2007, compared with 591,000 in 2006, while the number of people leaving the country fell from 400,000 to 340,000 over the same period.

Immigration Minister Phil Woolas, who has been outspoken on the need for immigration controls, emphasised that net immigration rose only because of a fall in people leaving the country.

In the past Mr Woolas has said the population should not exceed 70 million. By last year the population was just less than 61 million.

The figures show that immigrants have added more than 1.8 million to the population since Labour came to power in 1997, when net immigration stood at 50,000.

The Tories, who said the figures showed "immigration was out of control", have called for a cap on the number of people from outside the EU who are allowed to move to the UK. The government has introduced a new points-based system to limit non-EU immigration. The figures released yesterday cover the period before the new system was introduced.

The number of people entering the UK on work permits would have fallen by 12% if a new element of the points-based system for immigrants had been in force last year, said Mr Woolas.

"Today's figures show that applications from Eastern Europeans have this year fallen to their lowest level since 2004 and research suggests that half of those that came to the UK to work have now gone home," said Mr Woolas Polish citizens still made up the largest single national group of immigrants, with 96,000 arriving in 2007.

Shadow Home Secretary Dominic Grieve said: "These figures betray a government that has completely lost control over the past 10 years. "

The LibDem's home affairs spokesman, Chris Huhne, said: "These figures deal only with legal migration, but the truth is ministers have no idea how many illegal immigrants are living in Britain."