Britons have never felt a stronger sense of entitlement to the country than in recent months. Racist attacks are becoming a routine part of daily news, normalising to the point where they are almost expected.
A recent example of racially aggravated abuse occurred on a train between London and Sheffield, where a man was caught on camera launching a racist tirade against fellow passengers. He called them "immigrants" and made offensive remarks about England’s colonial past.
The footage, shared on social media by user @forsyth_gabby, quickly went viral. In the video, the unidentified man aggressively accused her of being "in cahoots with current immigrants." When challenged, he responded, "You're in England! You're claiming something! You wouldn’t be in England if you weren’t claiming! If you weren’t claiming, then you would be back wherever you are."
He then went on to justify British colonialism, stating, "English people have never done anything apart from conquering the world and then giving it back to you. We conquered India, we didn’t want it. We gave it back to you, did we not?"
The incident has sparked widespread outrage, with social media users condemning the man’s xenophobic remarks and calling for action against racist abuse in public spaces and this is not an isolated incident.
Political rhetoric fuelling the fire
Political figures have further inflamed these sentiments. Nigel Farage recently claimed that white Britons are becoming a minority, citing misleading statistics: only 37% of London’s, 43% of Birmingham’s, and 49% of Manchester’s populations are white. However, a quick research will help you understand the deeper narrative behind these claims.
Meanwhile, the Labour government has framed immigration as the root cause of the country’s issues. Rising crime? Immigrants are to blame. Unemployment? Immigrants are taking jobs meant for Britons. This narrative, repeated across political discourse, exacerbates tensions. The conservative stance is also pretty clear with all the Rwanda scheme and Kemi Badenoch’s different proposals every week.
Dr Rakesh Ranjan, South Asia Regional Coordinator at Institute of Human Rights and Business commented on the framing of immigrants in public discourse stating, "Migration was one of the most debated issues in last year’s elections. Instead of politicising immigration, a balanced discourse is necessary—one that acknowledges both the challenges of immigration and the vital role migrant workers play in sustaining key industries and economic growth. Shifting the narrative requires accurate representation in media and policies that reflect the reality of migrant contributions, rather than stoking public fear."
He also emphasised the responsibility of both home and host country governments. "Governments cannot deny the role of migrants in shaping their social, cultural, and economic landscapes. The UK and South Asian governments should implement policies to protect migrant workers' rights, such as the Employer Pays Principle, reasonable visa regulations, and adequate enforcement mechanisms", he said.
Sectors impacted by immigration policies
Many UK industries rely heavily on immigrant workers, particularly in healthcare, construction, hospitality, technology, and agriculture. Yet, restrictive immigration policies are making it increasingly difficult for these skilled professionals to sustain their livelihoods in the UK.
Dr Ranjan highlighted the risks, "Industries such as healthcare, hospitality, and construction heavily depend on migrant workers, particularly from South Asia. By making legal migration more difficult, these policies risk pushing workers into irregular or exploitative recruitment channels, increasing vulnerability to abuse and unfair working conditions. Employers will struggle to meet labour demands and may resort to informal hiring practices, further weakening regulatory oversight and fair recruitment standards."
Rather than restricting migration, he advocated for aligning UK immigration policies with labour market needs and worker rights.
The UK’s immigration system has made it increasingly difficult for research institutions to compete for international talent as well. A July 2024 analysis by Cancer Research UK found that rising visa costs have placed a significant burden on its four institutes—Cambridge, Manchester, Scotland, and the Francis Crick Institute.
Emma Cattermole, policy advisor in Cancer Research UK's science policy team and the analyst behind the report, explained, "Our analysis looked at how much it was costing the institutes we fund directly to support researchers with visa expenses. Many researchers find these costs unaffordable, needing to pay thousands of pounds upfront just to apply for a visa."
She highlighted the impact of recent government policies stating, "Due to the previous government's increases in both upfront visa fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge, the annual cost to our institutes was set to rise from £477,244 to £687,674—a staggering 44% increase in just one year. That’s money that could have funded more life-saving research."
Despite a change in government, the UK remains uncompetitive in attracting top scientific talent. Cattermole warned, "The UK has the most expensive visa regime in the world for scientists, making it a less attractive destination compared to other leading research nations. The Global Talent visa, designed to attract exceptional researchers, now costs 1,583% more than the average researcher visa in other top science destinations. Unless visa fees are reduced, we will continue to struggle to attract world-class scientists."
The construction industry is also struggling with severe labour shortages due to restrictive immigration policies, putting Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s pledge to “get Britain building again” at risk. Contributing £110 billion (6% of GDP) and employing 2.5 million people, the sector relies heavily on migrant workers to meet demand.
Similarly, the NHS and social care sectors depend on foreign workers: 28% of NHS nurses, 35% of doctors, and 32% of English social care workers are immigrants. Despite this, a 2023 policy barred migrant care workers from bringing dependents, leading to a sharp decline in visas.
As a result, the UK faces 130,000 vacancies in social care, and 1 in 7 NHS beds remains occupied by patients who cannot be discharged due to a lack of available care.
Dr Ranjan added, "Many migrant workers face challenges during recruitment. Recent workforce shortages due to Brexit and the war in Ukraine have led the UK government to regulate immigration more strictly, often conflicting with the needs of businesses that require workers.
“The recent UK immigration policies have made it more difficult for South Asian workers to access fair and responsible recruitment channels, disproportionately impacting those in semi-skilled and mid-skilled roles. Instead of ensuring responsible recruitment, these policies push workers towards illegal migration channels and potentially exploitative employment arrangements."
