The politicisation of immigration in the United Kingdom : symbolic policies, implementation failures and bipartisan consensus

Consterdine, Erica (2025) The politicisation of immigration in the United Kingdom : symbolic policies, implementation failures and bipartisan consensus. Revista CIDOB d’Afers Internacionals, 140. pp. 17-36. ISSN 1133-6595

Abstract

mmigration in the United Kingdom has shifted from the margins to become a decisive electoral factor. While its relevance has fluctuated since Brexit, it remains a major political issue. Labour won the 2024 election, but support for the far-right party Reform UK also increased, highlighting the appeal of anti-immigration policies. The political polarisation over this matter, however, is not so clear. This paper holds that a bipartisan consensus has emerged between the parties in the centre and that Labour and the Conservatives converge on the goal of curbing immigration, differing more on the framing of the issue than the substance. The mainstreaming of anti-immigration policy, then, owes less to the influence of the radical right than to competition between the parties in the centre ground on this matter.