The British Immigration Debate

Callista Wilson
Mr. Roddy
Global Politics and Historical Contexts
30 January 2019
The British Immigration Debate
Since the end of World War Two, the amount of immigrants entering The United Kingdom has continuously increased, and the British population is finding it difficult to agree on whether or not immigrants should be viewed as beneficial. For starters, The UK is unique in the sense that healthcare is free to anyone in the UK, regardless of whether they are a permanent resident, on a working visa, or even on vacation. In relation to this, the 2004 and 2007 expansions to the EU have consequently caused immigrants to enter the UK at overwhelming rates because many of them are interested in higher living standards as well as free healthcare.
In response to this, some British people feel that immigration is a problem because an increase of people entering the UK has lead to to an increase in living expenses, and a decrease in job opportunities. On the other hand, other British people believe it is racist to use immigrants as an explanation for the UK’s economic hardships, and they feel that diversity should be embraced. These people also claim that immigrants are impacting the economy in an overall positive way because a higher population can be the source of more jobs when it comes to areas such as education, transportation, health care, retail, food, and energy. Aside from this, others may argue that a constant flow of people from outside the UK, can be a risk for national security based on the observation of terrorist attacks which recently occurred in Paris and Brussels. According to an article written by The Council For Foreign Relations, “The immigration issue powerfully combines anxieties over identity, economic security, and terrorism.”   
Overall, this debate is significant as the UK is currently deciding whether or not they should “Brexit” by leaving the EU. If they decide to leave, then the amount of people who have access to the UK due to their citizenship with the EU would be reduced. However, this could catastrophically damage the British economy, as many vital trade ties with the EU would be cut. In the end, the UK needs to decide whether or not increased immigration is even a problem in the first place before they can make any meaningful decisions when it comes to Brexit.
Source
“What Brexit Means.” Council on Foreign Relations, www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-brexit-means.

   

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