Migration in the Age of Insecurity
The world has entered an “age of insecurity”. War has returned to the European continent and rages beyond it. Political upheaval has disrupted some of the most stable democracies in the world, and is likely to do so again in 2024. Rising powers like China are destabilising the old order. In this era, Britain has been uniquely exposed. Its economy has flatlined. Public services have suffered. Trust in those who govern us has cratered.
This global age of insecurity is felt acutely by people across the United Kingdom. They experience it in their homes, where rising bills have overwhelmed flat wages. They feel it in their local communities, where high streets decay and crime goes unpunished. They see it in their public services, most of which are crumbling, some of them – like the ceilings in their local school – quite literally.
To many, this insecurity is felt at our borders too. Across developed democracies, a fear of uncontrolled immigration is having a major impact on electoral politics: uprooting governments, producing new political alliances and even parties, and dividing communities.
In many countries, centre-left governments have struggled in these conditions, torn between their progressive voter base who are comfortable with high levels of migration, and their more socially conservative, generally older, working-class supporters, who are not. In France and Germany, for instance, a new right-wing has emerged as the old left-leaning parties fall into decline.
In Britain, however, it is a right-wing government that has suffered. Britain’s Conservatives now find themselves blamed for record migration figures. Migration sceptics have been offered the promise of control (like the pledge to “Stop the Boats”) and received only chaos. On the other side, more liberal voters have looked upon their government’s attempts to address immigration as both ineffective and cruel.
The result is evident in national polling. For nearly half a century, Labour has almost always trailed the Conservatives when asked who would best manage migration. That has now changed, with Labour comfortably leading the Conservatives on this issue. However, overall confidence in the ability of political parties to manage this issue is low, with a majority of voters thinking either that neither main party would be best at handling the issue, or simply saying they ‘don’t know’.
The policies Labour has proposed from opposition seek security and control at Britain’s border, without the chaos of the current administration. They also seek to allay people’s concerns about the negative impact that migration might have on their economic prospects by ensuring migration is not used by unscrupulous employers to erode wages and conditions, and British people are able to access the training they need for the jobs of the future.
Supported by new polling, we suggest Labour could be bolder still. We believe Labour could set out a confident vision of a migration system that works for both the UK economy and for communities, and which starts to rebuild our dented international reputation. In particular, Labour could address concerns about the social impact of migration by promoting the integration of migrants into British society, including through citizenship, which this paper shows is popular with the British public at large.
In this paper, we explore three pillars which could underpin an effective and popular migration system, showing where Labour is already addressing them and where there are further opportunities to do so:
From Chaos to Control. Britain’s migration and asylum system looks chaotic to Britain’s voters for a simple reason: it often is. Where today there is chaos, Labour must provide control, for example through its emphasis on tackling the people-smuggling gangs and by pursuing a workable returns and resettlement agreement with Europe.
From Insecurity to Fairness. Many voters worry migrants take more from our society than they contribute, at a time when economic security feels out of reach for many and public services are under increasing strain. An effective migration system must be fair and put the economic security of working people at its centre. One way this could be achieved is through tougher labour market regulation preventing employers using migrant labour to undercut British workers’ pay and conditions.
From Division to Belonging. Voters’ attitudes to migration are transformed by how effectively migrants can integrate in their new home. Britain’s migration policy must enhance a sense of belonging to avoid division, by actively encouraging migrants to take British citizenship and supporting the integration of refugees.
