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 . Some senior Tories have expressed their doubts with continuing the plans . Former minister Ken Clarke has said the entire pledge had been 'a mistake'