The government are aping the rhetoric of the far right – the arguments for immigration must be made

Last week, the Home Office announced that vans emblazoned with the message ‘Here illegally? Go home or face arrest’ would be making their way through the streets of outer London Boroughs, including Redbridge. Though they carry a number for individuals to text if they require assistance in doing so, there should be no doubt that these vans are designed for one audience only: the majority of Britons who are concerned that immigration is too high and don’t believe that politicians are doing enough to tackle it.

This is the sort of dog whistle politics that the Tories put at the heart of their 2005 election campaign with the sinister ‘are you thinking what we’re thinking?’ billboard ads. In the end, it turned out that the British people weren’t thinking what the Tories were thinking. Perhaps Lynton Crosby concluded that the message was too subtle and has persuaded the Home Office team to take a more direct approach. Beyond telling migrants to ‘go back to where you came from’ it is hard to see how the Tories could have gone further in aping the rhetoric of the far right.

The response of our political leaders in Westminster has been slow. It wasn’t until Sunday that the Shadow Home Secretary derided the poster as a ‘cynical stunt’ and only after Vince Cable had described an initiative of his own government as ‘stupid and offensive’. Even Nigel Farage, revelling in the knowledge that this latest government gimmick is driven by Tory paranoia about UKIP threat, expressed concern about the impact these posters could have on migrants who have settled here legally.

The response of leaders in local government has been a little more proactive. In Redbridge, a rare joint statement between the leaders of the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat groups called on the government to withdraw the campaign, warning that ‘whatever effect this campaign might be intended to have on people who are in the country unlawfully, that message is far outweighed by the negative message to the great majority of people, from all backgrounds, who live and work together in Redbridge peacefully, productively and lawfully.’ A similar statement has been issued by the Leader of Brent Council.

Perhaps it’s not surprising that political leaders in East London were more forthright in their response to the government’s vans. Immigration is part of our local story. From the French Protestant Hugenots in the 17th century, Irish Catholics in the 18th century and the Ashkenazi Jews in the 19th century right through to the Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Poles who make Redbridge one of the most ethnically and religiously diverse places in Britain today, immigration has shaped East London with its rich diversity. Yvette Cooper has to contend with opinion polls showing public concern about immigration and a Conservative Party determined to paint Labour as soft on illegal immigration.

But the story of the East End of London also forms part of our national story – not simply of the island nation shaped by the invading hordes of Romans, Vikings and Saxons or as part of the Commonwealth of nations formed at the dusk of Empire, but as a modern, global economy today in which immigration is a key ingredient or success.

Of course, abuse of our immigration system needs to be tackled, but that’s not what the Home Office vans are about. Reducing illegal migration takes more than a few ad vans driving around Boroughs bordering the M25. Labour took action in government to strengthen our visa system and in opposition should develop policies that will further reduce illegal migration, from those who understandably want to improve their lot but chance their arm by breaking the rules through to vulnerable people who are trafficked to the UK for exploitation.

But Labour also needs to make a strong case for the very clear benefits of immigration in the 21st century. A recent OECD report estimated that the net contribution of migrants to Britain’s economy was over £7bn. Even with continued investment in schools, further and higher education for home grown talent, businesses will continue to need skilled workers from abroad that understand the markets they are competing in.

From multinational corporations with bases across the UK through to fast-growing technology firms in Cambridge, the government’s immigration cap and time-intensive visa process is costing businesses in Britain and therefore costing Britain business. Student visas plunged by 21% in the first year to the delight of our competitors in the US and Australia, damaging Britain’s global position in sector that will be critical to Britain’s economic prospects in this century.

Unless these arguments are made, the public won’t hear them and election strategists across all parties will continue to urge policies that play to the polls and undermine our global position. It’s time to confidently tell the story of immigration that has shaped Britain’s past and will secure Britain’s future.

Wes Streeting is the Deputy Leader of Redbridge Labour Group