The politicisation of immigration in the United Kingdom: symbolic policies, implementation failures and bipartisan consensus

Erica Consterdine, profesora titular de Políticas Públicas, University of Lancaster. e.consterdine@lancaster.ac.uk. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7661-762X 

Immigration in the United Kingdom has shifted from the margins to become a decisive electoral factor. While its relevance has fluctuated since Brexit, it remains a major political issue. Labour won the 2024 election, but support for the far-right party Reform UK also increased, highlighting the appeal of anti-immigration policies. The political polarisation over this matter, however, is not so clear. This paper holds that a bipartisan consensus has emerged between the parties in the centre and that Labour and the Conservatives converge on the goal of curbing immigration, differing more on the framing of the issue than the substance. The mainstreaming of anti-immigration policy, then, owes less to the influence of the radical right than to competition between the parties in the centre ground on this matter. 

Keywords: migration policy, United Kingdom, politicisation of immigration, bipartisan consensus, radical right, symbolic policies, migration governance

How to cite this article: Consterdine, Erica. «La politización de la inmigración en el Reino Unido: políticas simbólicas, fracasos en la implementación y consenso bipartidista». Revista CIDOB d’Afers Internacionals, n.º 140 (septiembre de 2025), p. 17-36. DOI: doi.org/10.24241/rcai.2025.140.2.17

Revista CIDOB d’Afers Internacionals, nº 140, pp.17-36
Quadrimestral (May-September 2025)
ISSN:1133-6595 | E-ISSN:2013-035X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24241/rcai.2025.140.2.17

Reception date: 15.01.25 ;  Acceptance date:   08.04.25

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