Additional reporting by Sophia Ankel
Britain has made up its mind – there is too much immigration. It might even be the one issue that unites our diverse nation.
That, at least, is the most obvious reading of analysis commissioned by ITV News from the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR).
Polling also suggests that almost half the population feels the government should tackle immigration and border security in the upcoming Autumn budget.
That’s second only to the cost of living crisis and ahead of the NHS.
You can see the IPPR findings below. They are based upon a survey of 3,000 people – a cross-section of Britain.
People with basic education have stronger anti-immigration views. Credit: IPPR analysis of BES
People aged 55 and older are more likely to have anti-immigration sentiment. Credit: IPPR analysis of BES
Almost half the population feels the government should tackle immigration and border security in the upcoming Autumn budget. Credit: PLMR/IPPR
But a closer look at the data reveals telling details.
The more economically comfortable we feel, the less worried we are about migrants. Even more compellingly, the younger and better educated we are, the more liberal.
So is this a dramatic shift? Maybe. A permanent change of a nation’s mindset? That’s harder to say. Just a few years ago, similar studies showed a growing tolerance of newcomers.
What has changed is the post-Brexit “bulge” in immigration numbers, the failure of successive governments to “stop the small boats”, and a summer of heated protests, focused around hotels housing asylum seekers.
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This is why we went to Blackpool, where the Metropole Hotel houses hundreds of asylum seekers and is still attracting flag-waving demonstrations most weekends.
The hotel — remembered fondly by older locals for its enviable position above the sands — is a testament to the Lancashire resort’s decline.
Once this town attracted people — migrants, you might have called them – from other parts of the UK, with the promise of seaside glamour and work.
But the jobs have dried up. Latest government figures show 28.4% of working-age adults in Blackpool are economically inactive.
By many indicators — health, employment and income — the town is regularly cast as one of the most deprived in the UK.
Photographs from inside Metropole Hotel, taken over the last few months and sent to ITV News, appear to show it in a state of dilapidation.
One resident tells us that flag-waving demonstrations, which take place outside almost every weekend, have left his family feeling “trapped” and “scared”.
Pictures from inside show the Metropole Hotel in a state of dilapidation. These pictures were taken in the last eight months. Credit: ITV News
Long before the hotel started housing asylum seekers, legal migration was changing the face of Blackpool, but local community leaders tell us the Metropole protests have strained relations.
Nicola Priest, a local volunteer whose children are mixed race, has witnessed prejudice from both sides, but agrees the situation is getting worse.
She says: “People are upset about immigration because it has a strain on the NHS, it has more strain on the housing, which are issues, especially here.
“But they are using immigration, some people, as an excuse just to be racist.”
Long before the Metropole Hotel, legal migration was changing the face of Blackpool. Credit: ITV News
We met many people in Blackpool who are working hard to build a sense of community and to bridge the divisions.
For Nicola, the solution starts with “learning about each other”.
“We need education on both sides,’’ she says. “The immigrants need to know about our culture and how it works, and the other way around as well.”
But our research suggests that sentiment fails to match the public’s mood.
Britain’s migration crisis is complex, and the government is still searching for a compelling solution.
In Blackpool, we saw how it can pit the poorest in our society against others who have even less.
The migrants at the Metropole are at the mercy of a system that doesn’t work.
So too are the people of Blackpool.
A spokesperson for Serco, which is contracted by the Home Office to run the Metropole Hotel, told ITV News: “Any suggestion that the conditions at the Metropole Hotel are substandard for asylum seekers is simply not true.
“We manage the hotel on behalf of the Home Office, and it is inspected by their assurance team and other key stakeholders such as Public Health England and the local council. No concerns have been raised by them.
“There were two incidents of leaks in the Hotel earlier this year. Occupants affected were swiftly moved to an alternative room and the issues were quickly rectified.”
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