Understanding public attitudes to immigration. Proposing reforms to restore public confidence that immigration can work fairly for all of us.
Britain’s post-Brexit immigration approach needs to rebuild public confidence and secure political consent, while meeting the needs of the economy, public services and our global obligations. That will require a much deeper level of public involvement, to address people’s anxieties and respond with a system that manages the pressures and secures the gains of immigration.
Advocates for the gains of migration do not have the public and political support they need. We work with civil society, employers and political voices to develop public messages, policy agendas and broader coalitions to engage concerns effectively by proposing constructive solutions.
The findings from our National Conversation on Immigration project inform our approach to policy change.
British Future, together with Hope not hate and the Home Affairs Select Committee, conducted the biggest-ever public consultation on immigration in 2018. The National Conversation on Immigration comprised over 130 meetings with local citizens and stakeholders in 60 locations across every nation and region of the UK, together with an online survey and nationally representative research by ICM. In total 19,951 people took part. Read its final report here.
Date: 10 April 2025
British Future is a signatory to a letter in the Times, calling on the government to adopt an annual Migration Plan, together with the Directors of Onward, Centre for Policy Studies, IPPR and the IfG.
Date: 27 February 2025
New Home Office figures show falling immigration numbers, yet the politics of immigration have not caught up, says British Future.
Date: 16 February 2025
Most of the public would prefer current levels of international student migration to stay the same or increase, even though it makes up 40% of net migration, according to new research.
Date: 21 January 2025
What can government and advocates in the UK and Europe can learn from the US Presidential campaign for how we talk and act on immigration and asylum?
Date: 15 January 2025
Report from a British Future event examining lessons from the US election for the UK immigration debate
Date: 14 January 2025
New poll finds most Brits would rather Elon Musk kept out of our politics, as new British Future initiative examines ‘lessons from America’ for the UK.
Date: 28 November 2024
New net migration figures for the year to June 2024 are a reminder of unkept promises on immigration and a lesson for PM Keir Starmer.
Date: 14 November 2024
On 12 November, British Future’s Director Sunder Katwala gave the Migration Museum’s Annual Lecture at the Merchant Taylors’ Hall in London.
Date: 29 October 2024
New research on the challenges facing BN(O) Hong Kongers in finding work and dealing with the cost of living in the UK.
Most of the public does not like the way in which the England flag has been dragged into polarised debates about identity and race, according to new research published today by British Future, one month out from St George's Day. [Thread]
Faith leaders urge Government to 'slow down and rethink' changes to settlement rules, in a letter published in The Guardian today 🧵
Angela Rayner has warned that the Labour government proposals to make it harder for migrants already in the UK to settle permanently are "un-British" and a "breach of trust" - BBC News report
Angela Rayner warns against 'un-British' immigration reforms
Most migrant workers will have to wait longer to qualify for permanent residence under the government's proposals.
www.bbc.co.uk
Faith leaders urge government to rethink settlement changes that “risk undermining” community cohesion [1/3]
Our @sundersays will be on @BBCRadio4 'The Week in Westminster' at 11 today discussing the new govt cohesion plan and definition of anti-Muslim prejudice
BBC Radio 4 - The Week in Westminster
Radio 4's weekly assessment of developments at Westminster
www.bbc.co.uk
An independent commission examining inclusion and belonging in Newham – London's most diverse borough – has today published its final report, setting out recommendations to strengthen community connection and make the borough a national beacon of good practice [1/3]
"Her focus on so-called ‘pull-factors’ – an approach tried and tested without success by Conservative Home Secretaries before her – has been shown not to work." Our @sundersays on Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's speech today.
The Modern Cockney Festival opens next week with events throughout March, including on the 16th marking the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street.
More details at: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/moderncockneyfestival
'From Diwali to Discord: What Happened to Leicester’s Shared Belonging?'
As a new report examines the 2022 Leicester unrest, our Avaes Mohammed speaks to people from South Asian communities in the city about what needs to change. [1/2]
"Rupert Lowe looks like creating a new BNP for the online age – a project doomed to fail," writes @sundersays for @easterneye [1/2]
