Labour shouldn’t follow Farage’s lead: immigration is not the problem

In case we needed any further proof, the aftermath of last week’s by-elections has confirmed it: Nigel Farage has become something of a Pied Piper figure in UK politics. Ukip, taking advantage of widespread discontent with Westminster, is playing a tune (some might call it a dog-whistle) that’s luring political leaders into a nasty and destructive debate about immigration. And whether we like it or not, where politicians take the debate, we’re often forced to follow.

That’s not to say that immigration isn’t an issue for a significant proportion of the electorate. There are some indisputable facts:

Yes, discontent with immigration is real.

Yes, as Rob Ford and Matthew Goodwin have shown previous Labour supporters – not just Tory ones – are opting to vote Ukip.

Yes, in part because of these factors, the result in Heywood and Middleton was extremely disappointing for Labour.

Yet the options open to politicians when it comes to engaging with these facts are not as narrow as Farage would have us believe. The argument that one of the only logical tracks for Labour to take in order to stave off Ukip’s appeal is to adopt a hard-line stance on immigration, quite frankly, doesn’t add up.

Firstly, contrary to what other parties – and even some within the Labour party – might say, Labour are not ‘soft’ on EU immigration. Although they’ve said time and again that you can’t outdo Ukip on immigration, it seems that the Labour leadership have tentatively waded into Farage’s toxic pool. Labour support the Tory’s proposals for more residency tests for migrants from EU countries, Yvette Cooper has called for exit checks at ports and airports, and in her conference speech she called for “fair” not “free” movement of peoples within the EU. Just this weekend, Ed Miliband wrote in the Observer that he wanted:

“stronger border controls and laws… with reforms to ensure those who come here speak English and earn the right to any benefit entitlements.”

With these comments, the Labour leadership are being swept along with Farage’s false characterisation of immigration as bad for the country.  In his article, Miliband is subtly propping up the idea that large numbers of immigrants come to the UK to claim benefits. This simply isn’t for true. For example,  1% of migrants claim unemployment benefits, in comparison to 4% of UK nationals. In fact, studies show that the vast majority of people who migrate to the UK contribute positively to our society. In spite of what political discourse suggests, divides between ‘us’ and ‘them’ are not irreparable and are not the cause of problems in society. An investigation last year showed that immigration doesn’t undermine community cohesion – but economic deprivation and segregation do.

What’s more, tough immigration policies don’t necessarily do much to counter Ukip’s narrative or appeal. As Mehdi Hasan has pointed out, taking a hard, discriminatory line on immigration hasn’t worked for the Tories when it comes to staving off the Ukip threat. It’s illogical for the Labour leadership to follow suit.

This doesn’t mean discontent over immigration should be dismissed or ignored. To effectively speak to voters who may be attracted to Ukip, Labour should be exploring why this discontent exists in the first place. Although it seems contradictory, the reasons for political disillusionment can’t be traced back to immigration itself.

The real problems? Widespread inequality and a shortage of policies to tackle this.

While Miliband is right to talk about the cost-of-living crisis and the unfair, unequal society that’s led to this, he needs to be bolder. It’s not enough to make tweaks – albeit some substantial tweaks – around the edges of the status quo.

Labour could offer a refreshing change by being honest and up front with the electorate. While listening to people’s concerns, they should say that it is not people who have migrated to the UK who are to blame for the country’s problems, but the ease with which politicians in Westminster all too often uphold the status quo. So they should be making a radical break with the norm, without the usual caveats – pledging a living wage, creating green jobs that offer quality training, addressing unaffordable tuition fees, and looking for further solutions to solve the country’s housing crisis.

Despite what it may seem like at the moment, politics is not a zero-sum game. As tension and panic mounts in the run up to the general election, we can’t be dragged any further into a false debate on immigration. Should Labour manage to navigate a win next year by continuing down this track, they won’t offer up solutions to the core problems facing the UK, and they’ll leave some feeling like the party – and the country – isn’t where they belong. Surely, that would be no victory at all.