THE POLITICS OF IMMIGRATION

Over the next five to ten years, immigration looks set to remain
relatively high and Labour will not be able to offer much lower levels
in the short-term. Yet it should be able to find more to say about how
to manage immigration pressures fairly. The party may, for example,
be able to develop a longer-term argument about reducing the demand
for unskilled workers, to complement its 2015 focus on fairness in the
workplace.
Labour should also have considerably more to say about
integration. While it will struggle to please everybody, on integration
issues there is more common ground than most think between voters
who are sceptical about cultural change and those who are positive about
it.
Ensuring and encouraging people who do come here to become
‘one of us’ – learning the language, becoming part of the community,
working hard and paying taxes - could form part of a positive vision
for modern Britain that is rooted in Labour values: a Britishness based
on fairness, hard work, support for the NHS and on the equality of
opportunity that comes with access to English language learning.
Labour can and should have more to say in response to voters’
concerns about immigration, and will need to find its own, authentic
voice in which to do so. The need to connect with voters on the issues
that matter to them is not just about a cynical, focus-group-driven bid to
win elections – it is important in order to secure the democratic consent
for policy that underpins social cohesion. To succeed in this, Labour will
need to be more comfortable in articulating to those voters a vision of
the kind of Britain it would like to see.
16 British Future / The Politics of Immigration