“Fear of the foreigner” has firmly descended on Britain

This week Theresa May has said the controversial immigration scare vans will no longer be stalking the streets of London boroughs with high numbers of ethnic residents…or anywhere else, for that matter.  Redolent of vans with ads enticing “gentlemen” to lapdancing clubs, May’s roving “Go Home or Face Arrest” message is just as insidious. Now, if only we could get the Spearmint Rhino vans banned too…

I’m sure the Government’s decision to scrap the “Go Home Now” vans had nothing to do with the fact the Advertising Standards Authority banned the posters, affirming they had misled the public about the arrest statistics displayed. Apparently only one person was repatriated as a result of the scheme.

Condemnation was a cross-bench outcry. The Lib Dems called for it to be scrapped, and Yvette Cooper accused them of using the language reminiscent of the National Front.  Even UKIP disagreed with the tactic – and that’s saying something.

The vans may be gone, but the sentiment remains. Beware my friends; the Lynton Crosby effect is taking hold. “Fear of the foreigner” has firmly descended on Britain and is being stoked by misinformation and bigotry.

And the government has other insidious scaremongering tactics up its sleeve.  Capita has been contracted to send text messages to those they believe may have overstayed their visas: “Our records show you may not have leave to remain in the UK. Please contact us to discuss your case.” Just don’t mistake it for “Have you been mis-sold PPI? We can help you claim £2456.87 text YES now.”

So a private contractor has access to sensitive Home Office information and a bevvy of fingers are tapping away at iPhone screens scaring the bejesus out of people. Are we surprised mistakes were made? Threatening messages were sent to people who have legitimately settled here. Thanks to Theresa May, there’s no place like home.

I come from a family of immigrants – my great grandparents descended on the east coast of America from rural Ireland and poverty-stricken Italy.  A few generations later I headed in the opposite direction across the Atlantic, and settled here in the UK. I am American by birth, British by choice.

Despite the decades of difference in our migration, my great grandparents and I wanted exactly the same things.  The same things that Polish, Bulgarian, French, Indian, Ghanain and almost every immigrant wants, no matter where they are from or where they settle: to work and provide for their family. Prosperity. Education. Security. To better themselves and the world around them.

Britain benefits hugely from its diverse immigrant population; it’s time we started highlighting our positive contributions rather than focusing on the minute percentage of those who play the system. I know Labour have pledged to be tough on benefits and immigration.  But using the rhetoric of the right is harmful and hurtful and frankly we’re better than that.

The UK’s commitment to provide sanctuary under the refugee convention is a hallmark of its just and fair society. We risk losing our national identity not if we let in those seeking legitimate refuge, but rather if we do not.

Labour needs to have a vigorous approach to the immigration debate; for too long we have allowed the Tories – and more recently UKIP – to set the agenda. We know we may have got some things wrong post-1997; but we need to get over ourselves, and get stuck in to the debate without fear.

Love him or loathe him, David Goodhart’s book The British Dream made for compelling reading during my summer holiday.  It is rabble rousing and uncomfortable, but it contains some nuggets of truth and convinced me that Labour need to be unafraid of dialogue on immigration. That doesn’t mean telling people what we think they want to hear, but rather firmly and unashamedly standing by our Labour principles.  Immigration is complicated, matters hugely to the electorate, and is a major battleground for 2015.

We ignore it at our peril.