Over the last ten years, no country in Western Europe has been more preoccupied with immigration as a matter of government policymaking than Britain.

During that period, Britain withdrew from the European Union after more than four decades of membership. While there were various factors at play in the Leave vote of 2016, the pro-Brexit campaign would certainly have fallen short were it not for widespread opposition to the EU’s free movement of workers policy. Yet five years after Britain left the EU and introduced new controls, there is no sign of immigration disappearing from the political agenda.

Reform UK, the latest political vehicle for Nigel Farage, entered the House of Commons last year with 14 percent of the vote and five seats. Despite the party’s subsequent internal divides, Reform came in first place in the English local elections that were held in March, and it has regularly placed ahead of the Labour and Conservative parties since the beginning of 2025.