Immigration is not the number one priority for voters and the country. Labour must remember this.
Plus: Working mothers need help + The Lead Untangles paternity pay + Labour's 'Go Home Van' moment + our review of Channel 4's Go Back To Where You Came From.
Immigration, immigration, immigration - it seems to be all anyone cares to talk about.
If you pay attention to the news, our politicians, and commentators on TV, you’d believe that immigration is the number one most pressing issue in this country today.
The fact is, it’s not. For most voters, it pales behind the cost of living as their top issue of concern. Secondly, there are clear, tangible every day benefits to the history of immigration in our country - everywhere you go. From our food, our cultures, our high streets, our health service, our businesses. Immigrants pay more in tax to this country than they take as benefits. Immigration has had an inarguably positive impact overall.
Here are The Lead, we believe in the importance of proper policy scrutiny, and telling the stories that the media often ignore. While politicians tie themselves in knots competing in a cruelty Olympics, they — perhaps conveniently — ignore our cash-starved NHS, our breaking local authorities, and the cumulative, endless impact of Covid, Brexit and Austerity on our creaking economy. It may be politically convenient to blame all our country’s ills on a group of people who have so often been demonised throughout history. But it is largely incorrect.
We have been thoroughly disappointed by Labour’s decision to ape Reform and the Tories on its latest punitive immigration policies, from authoritarian deportation raid videos, to denying UK citizenship to small boat refugees.
On Wednesday, I faced off against MPs on the BBC’s Politics Live show, pointing out that the only way to truly “smash the people smugglers” that have exacerbated the small boats crisis is by establishing safe and legal routes for refugees, negotiating a returns deal with our European allies, and channelling resources into the asylum backlog.
The Labour MP, Jo White, refused to engage with my suggestions - instead informing me that she stood behind Labour’s policies as immigration is her constituent’s number one concern. So there it is. Labour would rather lean on populist policy solutions than engage with fact.
As a progressive and critical friend to the government, we will continue to hold its feet to the fire over its rightward shift. In the meantime, we remain committed to highlighting stories that truly matter. This week, we spotlight the motherhood penalty — the structural and societal barriers that mean women who have children still face setbacks in their careers, sometimes so severe that they are forced out of the workforce altogether. Hope you enjoy.
Zoe Grunewald, Westminster Editor
Joanna Milne argues the government needs to find solutions to encourage more women to work - be that working entirely or increasing their work. Because the childcare system is broken.
For this week’s edition of The Lead Untangles, Lauren Crosby Medlicott looks at paternity leave in the UK compared with Europe and the argument for and against change.
Immigration, as Zoe references, has been hogging the headlines. It has exposed a nasty streak within Labour. Nicola Kelly, who worked at the Home Office, lifts the lid on what’s happening.
And finally, immigration sits at the heart of the new Channel 4 Monday night show. Diyora Shadijanova has been shocked by what’s on her screen.
Thanks as always for having a read - we hope you’ve enjoyed our weekend edition and you have a restful weekend ahead.
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All the very best and have a great weekend.
Ed, Zoe, Luke, Sophie, Natalie and The Lead team