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The Politics and Policy of Skilled Economic Immigration Under New Labour, 1997–2010

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Wanted and Welcome?

Part of the book series: Immigrants and Minorities, Politics and Policy ((IMPP))

Abstract

Changes to British immigration policy under the Labour government (1997-2010) have been significant. The analysis provided here suggests at least two distinct policy phases. The first phase marked a liberalisation of the system that can be attributed in large part to a combination of the business lobby’s influence and economic growth combined with increased global integration of the UK economy. The second phase—including the creation of the Points-Based System—did not reverse the core policy goal of managed economic migration, but asserted strong control elements in a rule-bound system. This later period of policy change can be attributed to new political and social realities following the 2004 expansion of the European Union and the General Election of 2005 together with greater political attention to public opinion on immigration generally. Future trends will include a cap on non-EU migration.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    This wave of immigration has likely peaked. Data from the Worker Registration Scheme (which gives an indication of the number of arrivals from the A8) shows a substantial drop-off in applications. The number of approved applications in the first quarter of 2009 was the lowest since EU enlargement in 2004 and represented a drop of 53% from one year earlier.

  2. 2.

    The literature on the economic pluses and minuses of immigration is comprehensively and comparatively reviewed in Somerville and Sumption (2009). A sub-branch of the economics of immigration literature germane to this discussion—though more difficult to trace as it is eclectic in nature—is the value of talent, innovation, and high-value individuals to a country’s prosperity. Thus there are policy and academic studies trying to quantify such impacts and the motivations behind talented people’s mobility.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Migration Policy Institute (MPI) , Washington DC, USA

    Will Somerville

Authors
  1. Will Somerville
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Correspondence to Will Somerville .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Toronto, Military Trail, B542 1265, Toronto, M1C 1A4, Ontario, Canada

    Triadafilos Triadafilopoulos

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Somerville, W. (2013). The Politics and Policy of Skilled Economic Immigration Under New Labour, 1997–2010. In: Triadafilopoulos, T. (eds) Wanted and Welcome?. Immigrants and Minorities, Politics and Policy. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-0082-0_12

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