David Cameron should drop his pledge to reduce net migration to ‘ tens of thousands ’ ahead of the election , senior Tories say . The Prime Minister had promised to get the figure below 100,000 – ‘ no ifs , no buts ’ – four years ago . Last week , however , the number moving to Britain exceeded the number leaving by a record margin of nearly 300,000 . Scroll down for video . Prime Minister David Cameron has been urged to drop his pledge to reduce net migration to 'tens of thousands ' ahead of the election by senior Tories . Net long-term migration to the UK was estimated to be 298,000 in the year ending September 2014 , a major rise on the 210,000 figure a year earlier . Mr Cameron has conceded defeat on his pledge but he and Home Secretary Theresa May insist they will try to hit the sub-100,000 target if they stay in power . The issue has caused divisions at the top of the Tory Party with Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt , Communities Secretary Eric Pickles and Chancellor George Osborne reportedly expressing their doubts . A friend of Mr Osborne said his ‘ instincts are very different ’ from Mr Cameron ’ s . Ken Clarke , who has served as a minister under Mr Cameron , said the entire pledge had been a mistake . ‘ We will have to drop the target , ’ he told the Times newspaper . ‘ It would not be possible to achieve it without damaging our economy quite severely . ‘ I ’ m afraid that the net migration target has proved to be a mistake. ’ Baroness Warsi , the former foreign office minister , warned that the failure to meet the target risked undermining the Conservatives ’ wider credibility . ‘ If you set yourself unrealistic targets you are setting yourself up to fail and , in the long term , turn the whole thing into a bigger issue by fuelling the perception that the Government can ’ t get a grip , ’ she said . Dropping the target will fuel the feeling among Eurosceptic backbenchers that the only way to cut immigration is to leave the European Union . Mr Cameron has acknowledged that the reason immigrants want to come to Britain is because of the recovering economy and strong prospects of work . He has spoken of the need for reform of free movement rules in the EU , but the leaders of other member states , particularly Germany ’ s Angela Merkel , have made it clear they will not budge on this point . Former minister Ken Clarke has said that the entire migration pledge has been a mistake and not possible to achieve without damaging the country 's economy . The latest figures , which put net migration at 298,000 for the year ending in last September , would have exceeded 100,000 even without immigration from within Europe . Polls suggest the public are increasingly concerned about levels of immigration , which has fuelled support for Ukip . The latest YouGov survey suggests 75 per cent of voters think the numbers coming in are too high . A former strategist in Downing Street told the Times that the Prime Minister was exasperated with the dissent over his policy , saying : ‘ Why on earth are the only people who are really committed to our policy me and Theresa May ? ’ Last week Number 10 said Mr Cameron was ‘ disappointed ’ with the latest figures . Immigration minister James Brokenshire said : ‘ Uncontrolled , mass immigration makes it difficult to maintain social cohesion , puts pressure on public services and can force down wages . ‘ That ’ s why this Government is working to reduce net migration. ’ When Mr Cameron entered Downing Street in May 2010 net migration was running at 244,000 . The 298,000 figure has been surpassed only once , in 2005 . The majority of EU migrants now come from Spain , Portugal , Italy , Greece and France , which all have moribund economies and high youth unemployment .
Prime Minster has been urged to drop his pledge to reduce net migration . David Cameron had promised to get the figure below 100,000 4 years ago . But the number moving to Britain has exceeded those leaving the country . The PM has conceded defeat but will try to get migration under 100,000 . Comment: Former minister Ken Clarke has said the entire pledge had been ' a mistake '