Anti-immigrant sentiment has arguably been simmering in the UK for many years. It drove millions of people to vote for Brexit and led the Conservative government to propose plans to send migrants to migrant camps in Rwanda.
In the wake of far-right riots that gripped the UK, the new British government will have to pick up the pieces after years of anti-immigration Tory rhetoric.
The right-wing riots began following misinformation surrounding the murder of three young people attending a dance workshop in the English town of Southport. Social media users incorrectly identified the attacker as an immigrant and a Muslim.
The misinformation sparked a week of unrest that the UK Prime Minister described as “far-right violence.”
However, on Wednesday night UK police, expecting further unrest by far-right protesters, were met by peaceful anti-racism demonstrators who turned up en masse.
Despite this, it could be argued that anti-immigrant sentiment in the UK has been simmering beneath the surface for many years.
It prompted millions of people to vote for Brexit and led the Conservative government to propose plans to fly migrants to migrant camps in Rwanda and put them on barges off the coast.
The new Labour government has dismissed these policies as gimmicks and a waste of taxpayers’ money.
The new administration must now pick up the pieces after years of conservative anti-immigrant rhetoric and failed policies that ultimately increased tensions in the country.
Dr Nigel Fletcher, who was an adviser to former UK Prime Minister David Cameron, believes Labour must do what the Conservatives failed to do and take meaningful action on migration.
“The Labour Party not only has to resolve it, but resolve it in a way that is markedly and demonstrably different in tone and substance to how the Conservative government was trying to respond.
“Because if they continue with some of the rhetoric and some of the hardline policies of the previous government, they will alienate sections of their own party.”
The new UK government recently announced plans for a Border Security Command to tackle people-smuggling gangs, reflecting a broader European fight against migration.
As the political landscape evolves, the challenge will be to implement effective and humane policies that satisfy both sides of the political spectrum.
