Migration was one of the hottest aspects of the Brexit debate, and the publication of the UK government’s immigration bill recently suggests little has changed in government thinking, despite the all too evident role migrants have played in the battle against the coronavirus.

While government policy hasn’t changed, new research from the University of Birmingham suggests the views of the British public most definitely has.  The report highlights that attitudes towards immigration have softened considerably from the months after the referendum.

The authors believe this softening has two contributing factors, the first of which is that those with anti-immigrant attitudes feel they have more control over migration, and have therefore softened their stance, whilst the second is that the growth in xenophobia and racism has prompted some to pull back from their stance.

“Many people have noted the softening of attitudes since the EU Referendum, but no one could explain why attitudes changed for Remainers and Leavers,” the researchers say. “The idea that Leavers were reassured by the government ‘taking back control’ just doesn’t explain the wider trend. Our findings does. The fact that people wish to distance themselves from accusations of xenophobia and racism is not only reassuring but suggests a more general phenomenon of society seeking to protect itself. Which is just as relevant in a time of COVID, border closures, and fears of a ‘foreign’ virus as it is to Brexit.”

Renewed appreciation

This sentiment has been further supported by the coronavirus pandemic, with new research from Oxford University’s Centre on Migration, Policy and Society revealing that sentiment towards immigrants has warmed during a pandemic in which many migrant workers were operating on the front lines.

The study reveals that over 18% of healthcare staff and 16% of those in social work and residential care are from overseas.  These people have been celebrated for their contribution to the pandemic in recent months, and this has contributed to a shift in attitude towards migrants.

“It is not clear that the pandemic fundamentally changes what we know about the economic consequences of migration,” the researchers say.  “It may thus be that the political impacts of the crisis—how it affects attitudes towards migrant workers and their contributions to society and the economy—will in the long run be more important than any change to policymakers’ understanding of how the crisis affects the economics of migration.”

The authors believe their findings should prompt the government to think afresh about their immigration policy, especially the ‘value’ they place on certain types of immigration.  Given the early indicators from the immigration bill, it’s by no means clear that these softening attitudes are being absorbed by the government, much less that they will significantly roll back from the anti-migrant rhetoric that was such a toxic part of the Brexit referendum.