Prime Minister David Cameron and Home Secretary Teresa May face embarrassment today as independent figures revealed that Britain’s net migration has jumped from 175,000 to 243,000 over the past year.

The jump, despite a pledge by the Conservative Party to reduce the number to ‘below 100,000’ comes just before the party conference season, where Cameron will no doubt face backlash from party activists who are of a more conservative disposition than him and his government.

The figures from March 2013 to March 2014 reveal an increase in the number of people coming to Britain, net migration being the measure of how many people arrive in Britain minus how many leave.

The BBC’s Home Affairs correspondent said the figures spelled ‘bad news’ for Cameron and May, and will add further grist to UKIP’s mill.

Nigel Farage’s party have for some years claimed that net migration is impossible to control due to Britain’s obligations under the Lisbon Treaty. European Union members are free to travel to, and settle in Britain, with Romania and Bulgaria becoming the latest countries to get freedom of movement for its citizens.

The figures reflect a “statistically significant” rise of immigration, up to 560,000 from 492,000 the year before. The number of Bulgarians and Romanians coming into the UK more than doubled.

The Office for National Statistics lists the following key figures: