Brian Ford (25th Sept.) restates many of the daily talking points heard from Nigel Farage, the Daily Mail, GB News, etc.

Broad assertions are made about “open borders”, “illegal immigration”, “cost to taxpayers” and the country being “swamped” without any sources or references being offered. I suppose one should be at least grateful that nobody has suggested that our Salisbury swans are ending up on the plates of migrants for Sunday lunch. Nonetheless, I would like to contrast this approach with some facts, with sources.

The UK is a signatory to international treaties, which means anyone fleeing persecution or serious harm can make a claim for asylum (source: UN Refugee Convention 1951). Under the law, people need to have entered the UK before they can claim asylum (source: 2022 Nationality and Borders Act -Section 14).

Virtually everyone arriving on small boats makes a claim for asylum.  Whilst it is widely reported that people on such boats have entered the UK illegally, that is because, for most countries, there are no legal routes for them to enter the UK (source: YouTube “Suella Braverman appears unsure about how an asylum seeker can apply to enter the UK”).

In terms of asylum seekers living in hotels and living a life of luxury. They are used because of insufficient amounts of self-contained housing for asylum seekers, mainly due to the backlog in processing claims. A problem emphasised by Parliamentarians nearly a decade ago (source: House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee 2017).  Far from living in luxury, people in such hotels are provided with three basic meals and about £1.50 pre day to live-on (source: House of Commons Briefing 2025).  

In terms of migrants who are granted temporary work visas in the UK. This is to fill gaps in the economy.  Post-Brexit, the most common sectors, in absolute numerical terms are, Healthcare, Technology, Hospitality, Construction and Education (source DavidsonMorris 2025). Many of these require specialist skills and training, which are often not available amongst the indigenous unemployed population.

In terms of the Care Sector alone, it is estimated that there remain 131,000 unfilled posts despite migrant visas (source: Skills for Care Workforce Intelligence 2024). The number of people aged 65 and over in England is projected to increase by 3.3 million in the next 20 years (source: Centre for Ageing Better 2025). They will be reliant upon somebody to provide that care.

Far from being a drain on taxpayers, migrants over the age of 25 earning the UK average worker have a more positive lifetime fiscal contribution than a UK-born worker on the same salary, because we have not had to pay the cost of their education, training and public services prior to arrival. These migrants reduce levels of public debt and deficit (source: OBR 2025).

Finally, the claim that migrants do not integrate sufficiently is nothing new. In 1968, Enoch Powell MP gave the infamous speech in which he railed against immigration and the lack of integration of migrants, stating that “In this country, in 15 or 20 years’ time, the black man will have the whip hand over the white man”, leading to “Rivers of Blood” (source International Business Times 2011).

The language used by the likes of Nigel Farage and Danny Kruger may be less inflammatory, but I fear the intent may not.

Dr Paul Anderson

Stratford Road

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