Immigration has overtaken the economy in voters’ top concerns about Britain, according to a new poll for The Observer.
The NHS remains the main priority for the public, with 55% of those polled citing the health service among their top three most important issues facing the country. But 49% now raise immigration among their top concerns, a 7-point increase since May, compared with 45% for the economy, according to the poll by Opinium.
Those polled were largely aware of recent far-right protests at a migrant hotel in Essex, which followed the arrest of an asylum seeker for allegedly attempting to kiss a young girl.
Donald Trump arrived in Scotland on Friday to visit his golf courses and meet leaders including Sir Keir Starmer. He described immigration as a “horrible invasion” that is “killing Europe”.
There are growing concerns among those in law enforcement that there could be disorder this summer, a year after racist rioting in response to the Southport stabbings of young girls at a dance class. Essex police were bracing for more protests around the Bell hotel in Epping after far-right agitator Tommy Robinson announced a “mass mobilisation” for today.
Local protests began after the arrest of Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu on 8 July. He was charged with sexual assault after an incident where he is alleged to have attempted to kiss a 14-year-old girl, which he denied.
There has been a series of further protests at the Bell over the past 10 days. Essex police said a demonstration on 17 July was used as cover to commit violent disorder and criminal damage. Eight officers were injured and a number of police vehicles were damaged as missiles were thrown. There were 18 arrests.
‘It’s not the same as Southport… but one flashpoint can change everything’
Senior policing source
In the past week, 62% of the public had heard about the protests, according to the Opinium poll. Of those, 55% selected immigration as one of the most important issues, compared with 39% of those who had not heard about the protests.
Initially organised on Facebook groups, the activity around the hotel has been co-opted by Robinson and members of the far-right group Homeland, described by anti-fascist organisation Hope Not Hate as the “biggest fascist, neo-Nazi party in the UK”.
A spokesperson for Homeland told the Times last week: “The Homeland party is a democratic nationalist party committed to political engagement through lawful, electoral means. We reject extremism and oppose fascism in principle and practice.” Stand Up to Racism said counterprotests were planned for today.
Essex county council voted last week to urge the government to shut the Bell. The local police and crime commissioner, Roger Hirst, wrote to home secretary Yvette Cooper requesting a meeting to discuss the suitability of hotels in the county for housing newly arrived asylum seekers.
One senior policing source told The Observer that, while forces are better prepared for potential disorder than last summer, a single event could easily create further unrest. “We haven’t seen the same series of events that we saw in the build-up to Southport but you can never know,” he said. “One flashpoint can change everything.”
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said last Thursday that she was “not going to let us run out of prison places” if there was a repeat of the riots.
A protest outside a hotel housing families in Diss, Norfolk, saw about 150 people chanting “Send them back” after plans were announced to house single men there, and there was a protest in Canary Wharf, east London, at a hotel being prepared to house asylum seekers.
On Thursday, the business and trade secretary Jonathan Reynolds said protesters were “upset for legitimate reasons”. Sir James Cleverly, shadow secretary for housing and communities, accused Labour of failing in its promise to close hotels.
The issue of immigration is of increasing concern, according to polls. A similar Opinium poll for The Observer in June 2023 found that 29% of voters named immigration among the most important issues for voters. The new poll, from a sample of 2,050 UK adults between 23 and 25 July, found that Labour’s lead over the Conservatives had declined significantly on a range of issues, particularly immigration. A total of 19% of respondents said a Labour government led by Starmer would be best to deal with immigration issues in the UK, with 18% saying that a Conservative administration led by Kemi Badenoch would be best.
Similar YouGov polling dating back to 2011 shows that the importance of immigration among voters peaked at 71% during the European migrant crisis. YouGov’s most recent polling last week shows immigration is ranked as the most important issue facing the UK.
The Home Office said on Friday that its new “failure to travel” policy is looking to tackle “non-compliance by asylum seekers” and threatened to make them homeless should they decline to move from hotels to new accommodation arrangements.
Dame Angela Eagle, minister for border security and asylum, said: “We are working to close hotels, restore order, and put fairness and value for money at the heart of our asylum system.
“This government is making those necessary decisions to protect the taxpayer and uphold the integrity of our borders.”
Additional reporting by Harry Mangan
Photograph by Yui Mok/PA Wire