3 ms·

Immigration exploded after Brexit. While the official line was "Let's keep the riffraff out". the reality was that the Tories used Brexit to bring in plenty of

Immigration exploded after Brexit. While the official line was "Let's keep the riffraff out". the reality was that the Tories used Brexit to bring in plenty of cheap labour from specific countries, and the income requirements are applied very selectively. Foreign students were also encouraged to study here and remain after studying. Initially even family reunion immigration was encouraged, although that's changed now. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/5579/live/8ea3acd0-df25-11ef-a819-277e390a7a08.png.webp https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/5579/live/8ea3a... The UK has been playing this game for centuries - bringing in cheap foreign labour on the quiet, then using that as political leverage with "We will protect you from the foreign invasion" messaging.

arrowsmith 1y ago
And yet, insanely, the Tories still get called "anti-immigration". They were the most pro-immigration government in British history, by far.
- jl6 1y ago
  Another explanation is that they were 100% anti-immigration but also 200% incompetent at implementing their own goals.
  - hermitcrab 1y ago
    Rather than being honest with people about the pros (of which there are many) and cons (of which there are some) of migration, the conservative government increased migration while telling people they were reducing it. That is malice, rather than incompetence. And now, here we are, facing the very really real possibility of loathsome grifter Farage as Prime Minister.
- SwamyM 1y ago
  Same with the Republicans in the US and the deficit, "small" government, etc.
- johnnyanmac 1y ago
  US conservatives had the same issue before this year. They'd regularly vote against stronger immigration policies, because it turns out rich donors like under-paying non-citizens.
lurk2 1y ago
[flagged]
rich_sasha 1y ago
Oh sure, immigration - masively up. High-skilled immigration - not so sure about this.
lurk2 1y ago
> The UK has been playing this game for centuries The UK was 94% white as recently as 1991 and was 99% white in 1951. What cheap labor was being imported in the centuries prior? -

arrowsmith 1y ago

And yet, insanely, the Tories still get called "anti-immigration". They were the most pro-immigration government in British history, by far.

jl6 1y ago
Another explanation is that they were 100% anti-immigration but also 200% incompetent at implementing their own goals.
- hermitcrab 1y ago
  Rather than being honest with people about the pros (of which there are many) and cons (of which there are some) of migration, the conservative government increased migration while telling people they were reducing it. That is malice, rather than incompetence. And now, here we are, facing the very really real possibility of loathsome grifter Farage as Prime Minister.
SwamyM 1y ago
Same with the Republicans in the US and the deficit, "small" government, etc.
johnnyanmac 1y ago
US conservatives had the same issue before this year. They'd regularly vote against stronger immigration policies, because it turns out rich donors like under-paying non-citizens.

lurk2 1y ago

[flagged]

rich_sasha 1y ago

Oh sure, immigration - masively up. High-skilled immigration - not so sure about this.

lurk2 1y ago

> The UK has been playing this game for centuries The UK was 94% white as recently as 1991 and was 99% white in 1951. What cheap labor was being imported in the centuries prior? -