The breakdown of births showed that 65.3 per cent were born to mothers who put the ethnicity of their child as white British. The proportion is lower than the white British population as a whole (file image)

Fewer than two in three babies born last year were officially classified as white British, figures showed yesterday.

The first ethnic breakdown of births showed that 65.3 per cent were born to mothers who put the ethnicity of their child as white British.

The proportion is much lower than the white British population as a whole, which was recorded as just over 80 per cent at the 2011 national census.

The decline in births among the majority background is a fresh indicator of the impact of large-scale immigration over the past 15 years.

The figures came in a week in which Home Secretary Theresa May told the Conservative Party Conference that when immigration is too high ‘it is impossible to build a cohesive society’.

Among the third of babies said to be members of ethnic minorities, 10.3 per cent were recorded as ‘white other’. The relatively high proportion appears to mirror increased immigration from Europe.

The group includes children born to mothers from Poland and other Eastern European countries as well as Ireland, Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada and South Africa.

The analysis was published by the Office for National Statistics and recorded that 4.3 per cent of babies were Pakistani, 3.3 per cent Indian and 1.5 per cent Bangladeshi. A further 3.5 per cent were registered as black African, while the smallest ethnic category was black Caribbean, at 0.9 per cent.

The remaining 11 per cent of babies – recorded as ‘all others’ – included those whose mothers said they were from Far East countries including China, or from the Middle East.

The figures were published for the first time in an ONS bulletin on births in England and Wales last year, which mainly deals with stillbirths, multiple births and the number of babies born underweight, Although they have been available in the past, they have never been published in an easily digestible form.

The ethnicity of a baby is not recorded on the birth register. However, midwives are required to record it during the birth notification – an NHS process that provides the baby with an NHS number and begins the child’s medical records. Midwives set down ethnic identity as given to them by the mother.

The figures came in a week in which Home Secretary Theresa May told the Conservative Party Conference that when immigration is too high ‘it is impossible to build a cohesive society’

The 34 per cent of babies said to be from ethnic minorities is a much higher figure than that commonly given.

The usual figure is the count of babies born to mothers who were themselves born abroad, and who are regarded by the ONS as immigrants.

In 2014, some 27 per cent of babies in Britain had foreign-born mothers, up from 26.5 per cent the year before.

The high number of ‘white other’ babies recorded is likely to reflect high birthrates among Eastern European immigrants. An ONS report last year said fertility rates among women from this group were double those in their home countries and higher than those of British-born women.

The figures come at a time of deepening sensitivity over the economic and political impact of immigration.

Mrs May said in her conference speech: ‘When immigration is too high, when the pace of change is too fast, it’s impossible to build a cohesive society. It’s difficult for schools and hospitals to cope.