Anand Menon: The Movie (Why immigration is becoming a major political issue)

“Historically unprecedented levels” returns immigration “to the top of the political agenda” and poses challenges for the parties as polling day approaches
A new report by the UK in a Changing Europe (UKICE) examines the changes to the politics, policies, and public opinion around immigration.
The report, which brings together authors from British Future, the Institute for Government, the Migration Observatory, the Social Market Foundation, and the KCL Policy Institute, provides a comprehensive review of changes in policy, outcomes, and public opinion that have reshaped the landscape.
More liberal policies, rising demand for immigration in the labour market and universities, and disruptions abroad have driven a “sharp increase in migration to historically unprecedented levels” in the last parliament.
Migration to the UK after Brexit report shows the next government faces a number of challenges as the “large post-Covid spike in arrivals has pushed immigration to the top of the political agenda again”.
Numbers peaked at the end of 2022, with 1.15 million long-term international migrants (those planning to stay at least a year) arriving in the UK over the previous 12 months, although net migration is likely to fall very sharply over the course of 2024. A new model for “humanitarian migration” has emerged in the years since Brexit, with large inflows of migrants fleeing conflict in Ukraine and political oppression in Hong Kong.
Growing public concern is now much more concentrated among Conservative supporters, resulting in a series of government initiatives to try and bring numbers down and creating deep electoral dilemmas for the governing party in the upcoming election campaign.