‘UK political system produces politicians using immigration issue to win votes’

LONDON

The British government's controversial steps to tackle immigration show how the British political system produces politicians who are using the immigration issue to win elections, according to interdisciplinary researchers.

The UK government's two latest attempts to stop small boat crossings via the English Channel – Illegal Migration Bill and the Rwanda Plan – have been met with fierce criticism from many, including human rights organizations and refugee advocates, who argue that these steps violate international law and the UK’s obligations under the Refugee Convention.

In April, Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHCR), an executive non-departmental public body in the UK, reiterated its opposition to the Illegal Migration Bill.

Also, a joint parliamentary committee’s report on Sunday said that the bill to remove "irregular" migrants who entered Britain "breaches a number of UK's international human rights obligations and risks breaching others."

Mike Savage, an expert on sociology at the London School of Economics (LSE), and Jack Black, a senior lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University, spoke to Anadolu about the reasons behind these regulations.

Black said that the bill "fundamentally" fails to tackle the issue of illegal immigration.

“As is clear from the Rwanda Plan, such announcements have neither resulted in a decline in the number of people seeking to undertake life-threatening journeys nor targeted the industry that sustains it (migration),” he noted.

Rather, Black stressed, the Conservatives are playing into the hands of right-wing politicians playing up the illegal immigration rhetoric – "a path that they believe will win them votes."

“We have seen this in the dehumanizing language used by Conservative MPs with regards to immigrants and refugees, and in the ‘threat’ which ‘they’ (immigrants) are believed to pose to 'British values'."

Mentioning UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman's language on irregular migration that drew widespread criticism, he said accepting refugees is not a "matter of generosity," but a fundamental right in any functioning democracy.

“I think, overall, the bill is an attempt by the Conservative party to save face in a forthcoming election (that is, to make it look as if they are being ‘tough’ on immigration) – an election which they know they won’t necessarily win.”

A date for the next UK general election is yet to be confirmed but it is scheduled to be held no later than January 2025.

Touching on reasons behind these policies by the current government which includes immigrant-background politicians, especially Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Suella Braverman, Black said: “Regardless of one’s background, we are left with a political system that produces individuals willing to use the issue of immigration to win votes – this is the problem."

- 'Using diversity card'

For his part, Savage noted that it is "very sad" to see the British government’s response to people taking desperate measures to get to the UK.

“(The government’s response) is very hostile and doesn't really recognize the rights and difficulties of the refugees,” he noted.

Savage opined that the Conservative government's policy aims at distracting people’s attention and mobilizing them against foreigners because they have realized that the country is in an economic mess, the society is divided, and there is inequality in wealth distribution.

By having top officials with immigrant backgrounds, he said, the government is "using the diversity card."

“I think it's just an attempt to pretend that because we are a diverse Cabinet, we're not nationalistic and racist,” said Savage, claiming that most of them represent wealthy people and a certain group of society.

Savage said he does not think the British people have huge concerns about immigration these days.

People are facing much more fundamental issues, including rising prices, swelling energy bills, and shrinking jobs, he added.

Immigration as a public concern in Britain has dramatically reduced since Brexit with only 11% of people seeing it as important, according to a report published in March by UK in a Changing Europe, an independent initiative conducting research on UK-EU relations.