UK's Political Rhetoric Fuels Rise in Racism: A Tale of Two Migrations

The United Kingdom is witnessing a concerning rise in politically acceptable racism, with public discourse increasingly targeting immigrants and asylum seekers. This trend is not new, but recent political rhetoric has amplified it, blurring the critical distinction between different types of migration and fueling prejudice.

The Difference Between Immigrants and Asylum Seekers

It's crucial to understand that immigrants and asylum seekers are not the same.

Regular immigrants are individuals who have obtained the right to live and work in the UK through legal channels, such as work or study visas. In 2021/22, around 10.7 million people, or 16% of the UK population, were born abroad. The most common countries of birth for these migrants were India, Poland, Pakistan, Romania, and Ireland.

Asylum seekers, by definition, are people who have fled their home country and are seeking international protection. Their legal status is different, as they are not typically permitted to work until their asylum claim is processed and approved. The number of asylum applications has recently hit record highs, with 111,000 people claiming asylum in the year ending June 2025, the highest since records began in 2001. The top nationalities of asylum seekers in 2024 were Pakistani, Afghan, and Iranian. While the UK received the fifth largest number of asylum claims in absolute terms among EU+ countries in 2024, it ranked 17th when adjusted for population size.

A Troubling Rise in Hate and Disparity

Recent data reveals a stark picture of racial inequality and rising intolerance. In 2021/2022, there were 109,843 racially aggravated offences recorded, a 19% increase.

• Black people were victims of racist hate crimes at a rate of 33.8 aggravated offences per million people, compared to 16.8 per million for Asians and 1.5 per million for white people.
• This disparity is also evident within the criminal justice system. In the year ending March 2023, Black people were stopped and searched at a rate of 24.5 per 1,000 people, significantly higher than the 5.9 per 1,000 for white people.
• A 2024 review found that Black police officers were 81% more likely to face disciplinary action than their white counterparts.

Political Rhetoric and the Overton Window

Political leaders across the spectrum have been accused of using inflammatory language that blurs the lines between legal and irregular migration. The use of terms like "non-UK born" and "non-British" to imply a hierarchy of Britishness, and the frequent, incendiary juxtaposition of "Muslim" and "migrant" with negative stereotypes have widened the "Overton window"—the range of politically acceptable ideas.

While the government seeks to reduce overall immigration, this is a separate issue from the debate about racism. Reducing immigration numbers is a policy choice, but doing so while failing to condemn the spread of racism and xenophobia risks legitimizing hateful ideologies. This creates an environment where people feel emboldened to express anti-immigrant and racist sentiments, even as the majority of immigrants have come to the UK through legal channels for work and study.

As the country's demographics continue to evolve—with white people projected to be a minority in the UK within 40 years—the way in which public figures discuss migration and diversity will be crucial in shaping the future of British society.

The video below discusses the political context of the rise in asylum seekers and related public discourse.

Tories say more asylum seekers in hotels under Labour (ITN)