The immigration debate on the left: accommodate or change the narrative?
Immigration is undoubtedly one of the leading concerns in the UK, and for Left Behind, this issue is particularly pressing. Particularly in the case of asylum seekers, people in rural areas/outside cities tend to be more resistant to asylum seekers. This is often due to a lack of social contact and concerns about them threatening the cohesion of their communities . With Reform UK leading the polls nationally, finding a way to connect with voters from outside the city is crucial for the left to regain some control. But the big question is how? I don’t think it is controversial to say that Reform UK will always be able to outflank the left on immigration, so how do you combat an opposition whose primary focus is on reducing immigration when 70% of the country believes immigration has been too high?
Opinions on immigration: How flexible are they?
Many studies that analyse opinions on immigration analyse opinions on immigration find that individuals who are motivated by identity-protective reasoning in a polarised environment (as the UK is incresingly becoming) , opinions remain stable over time, even with increased education and considerations of increasing refugee crises. If immigration opinions remain relatively stable over time, then in a country so keen on reducing immigration, is it best to accommodate the majority of the electorate’s opinion and toughen up the language on immigration control?
As discussed previously, the study that finds more social contact improves people’s opinions of asylum seekers offers a contrasting narrative. This, alongside other studies showing that people with heightened social media use are increasingly being led towards anti-immigrant sentiment, suggests asking: Is attempting to shift the narrative the most effective response?
Below are two examples of the contrasting attempts to control the narrative of immigration on the left:
- Labour Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s X post, emphasising the importance of reducing the number of asylum seekers
- The Green Party’s X post, emphasising the importance of celebrating refugees and actively welcoming them to the country
Mahmood’s post
The bold message presents the government’s results, removing illegal immigrants as a success. The other striking message in this post is the claim that ‘There is no place in our country for those who come here illegally’. As most refugees arriving in small boat crossings would be considered as entering illegally, Mahmood makes her message to refugees clear. Other tweets from Mahmood refer to immigrants as ‘overseas cheap labour’, a de-personalised term that is arguably closer to the language you would expect of Reform UK.
The Green Party’s post
The Greens have picked up a lot of support from sections of the left, who feel that Labour’s messaging is too similar to that of Reform UK . The Greens’ message is clear: they want to shift the negative narrative around refugees, highlighting the motives behind travelling to the UK as ‘seeking safety’ and emphasising that refugees are welcome. Consistent with their prevalent tax the rich messaging, the Greens pick out the extremely wealthy as the opposition, rather than those seeking refuge.
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