THE POLITICS OF IMMIGRATION

‘Refugees Welcome’ - how do we keep it that
way?
On 7 September, Prime Minister David Cameron announced that the
UK would resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees by the end of this Parliament,
adding that the UK has a “moral responsibility” to do more to help
those living in refugee camps in countries bordering Syria.
There are some important lessons for those seeking to maintain
the momentum of the ‘Refugees Welcome’ campaign, and for the
Government as it implements the Prime Minister’s commitment to
increased resettlement.
The response to the Syrian refugee crisis represented a significant shift
in public, media and political discourse on refugee and asylum issues, as
thousands of Britons were moved to press for humanitarian action. It
would be unwise, however, to interpret this as a shift in overall attitudes
to immigration, on which public opinion remains as nuanced as before.
There has always been a substantial level of public support for the basic
principle for refugee protection. The change in media and political
discourse has provided space for pro-migration advocates to become
more confident and vocal, and a challenge for them will be to maintain
this momentum, particularly if the immigration debate becomes focused
on the negative numbers frame again when new ONS immigration
figures come out in November, if not before.
That said, many people will have been drawn to take action - whether
through a mouseclick, attending a rally or offering a place for refugees
to stay – who would not ordinarily speak up for the rights of refugees.
Like the broad political coalition that helped press the Government
to respond, campaigners should view this broad public coalition, of
migration liberals and members of the ‘anxious middle’ who also hold
concerns about the impacts of immigration, as influential and worth
preserving.
Responses to the resettlement announcement focusing entirely on
the negative - that the UK’s response was paltry compared to that of
some other countries – will have held little appeal to this group, and
will appear counterintuitive to those who feel that numbers are already
rather high. Polarising on party political lines is also deeply unhelpful:
far better to welcome the breadth of cross-party support for the basic
principle of refugee protection. Billy Bragg and Jeremy Corbyn’s
rendition of Labour’s ‘Red Flag’ anthem at the ‘Refugees Welcome’
rally will have immediately made attendees who don’t share those party
politics feel not very welcome at all. Perhaps the themetune to the
Archers or Match of the Day would have been a more unifying choice.
44 British Future / The Politics of Immigration