Record immigration numbers in the UK
Britain recorded peak migration levels in the twelve months leading up to June 2022. Around 500,000 more people arrived in the UK than left it - a record that is putting pressure on the Tories, who promised to restrict immigration. But what about the positive effects?
A driver of economic recovery
The British are more progressive than some politicians believe, says The Observer:
“The decades-long tendency to see immigration as a problem to be controlled is now in rapid decline. The rising view is that immigration is a resource that can deliver gains for all. A majority now see immigration as economically and culturally beneficial, as a driver of economic recovery and a vital source of support for public services. The share of voters who say migration levels should stay the same or increase has never been higher, even as migration has hit record highs. ... The more moderate and pragmatic public mood is not evident in government rhetoric.”
Not a cure-all
The Daily Telegraph, on the other hand, warns against an open-door policy:
“There is no doubt that immigrants can bring a huge amount to the country. You have only to look at the composition of the current government to see that. But this is not the same as saying the more immigrants, the better. ... The greatest pressure is felt in the housing market. ... And then there are the wider, societal effects. There is a limit to the number of immigrants who can be successfully absorbed and integrated into the home country. This goes beyond mere economics and speaks to the essence of what holds a society together.”
Labour wants preferential treatment for British workers
Krytyka Polityczna observes a change of stance in the main British opposition party:
“To win back voters in traditional Labour constituencies in the north of England, party leader Sir Keir Starmer is also increasingly adopting a harsher rhetoric on migration - which was one of the main issues that made these voters vote to leave the EU and then support Johnson in 2019. In a recent speech at a conference of the Confederation of British Industry - one of the main employers' associations in the UK - he said British companies must stop basing their business models on cheap foreign labour and instead invest in the skills and training of British workers.”