There is common ground on the issue of immigration between Leave and Remain voters who disagreed on the referendum question, finds this report from British Future, ‘Disbanding the tribes: what the referendum told us about Britain (and what it didn’t)‘.
Most share nuanced views on the pressures and gains that immigration brings to Britain and a desire for a system that can be trusted to work – and will both need to be involved in the debates to come on how we manage immigration.
Three quarters (74%) of the public, including 84% of Leave voters and 69% of those who voted for Remain, agree that “Immigration brings pressures as well as gains and our decision to Leave the EU gives us a chance to change the system. What we need now is a sensible policy to manage immigration so we control who comes here but still keep the immigration that’s good for our economy and society, and maintains our tradition of offering sanctuary to refugees who need our protection”.
Those on the losing side, the report argues, need to work through the grieving process to its final phase – acceptance – and become a strong voice in the debates we must now have about the kind of Britain we want to be after Brexit.
We need to disband the referendum’s 48% and 52% tribes and move on.
The Government, too, will need to engage both sides of the referendum debate and involve the public more in the decisions we make on immigration.
The report draws on new ICM polling for British Future conducted immediately after the referendum.
It finds that there is more in common between the two referendum tribes than we think – which is why they must now be disbanded as we seek constructive solutions to the challenges of making Brexit work for all of us.
Matt Goodwin's candidacy in Denton & Gorton "illuminates the balance of risks & rewards for Reform, presenting itself as a potential govt, in embracing the sharper edges of the online right." Our @sundersays for @TheNewWorldmag [1/2]
Moving the goalposts on ‘earned settlement’ is a risky gamble for this government – @sundersays writes for @EasternEye [1/2]
"It is important to have an open and frank debate about immigration and integration," writes @sundersays on Jim Ratcliffe's 'colonised' comments. "It helps no-one when public voices use inflammatory language." [1/2]
A new British South Asian Bridgers Project is bringing together and supporting the ‘bridging’ voices who are working to build inter-community connection and defuse tensions among the UK’s largest ethnic minority group. [1/5]
Starmer's future remains uncertain – but "it may be a few months yet before we find out who governs Britain for the remaining three years of this parliament," writes
@sundersays for @easterneye
Changes at Number Ten, but Starmer’s future remains uncertain
Most of the Westminster commentariat predict that Starmer will prove to be a caretaker prime minister on borrowed time
www.easterneye.biz
Remember, you only hav until next Tues, 10 Feb, to apply for the Windrush Day 2026 Grant Scheme - details below
"It is welcome, if overdue, that the PM has set out a positive vision for cohesion... What needs to follow is a clear plan to turn these words into sustained action," writes our @sundersays [1/2]
"No, the public is not irredeemably ignorant," writes @sarahoconnor_ in the @FT – citing data from our @britishfuture immigration attitudes tracker on misperceptions about immigration [1/2]
Our @sundersays welcomes @MayorofLondon Sadiq Khan making "a more confident case for controlled immigration – and the economic and social contribution that it can make," in his @easterneye column [1/2]
How do efforts to build community cohesion respond to today's febrile geopolitical and national context?
This week's @sundersays column for @easterneye
In Britain’s new year of anxiety, cohesion is no longer optional
A stronger, shared vision would help, despite some anxiety about how far national leaders and institutions have the public standing to narrate it
www.easterneye.biz
