https://arab.news/cb9kn
How to deal with migrants and asylum seekers in the UK remains a highly divisive and contentious issue. It is likely to remain so, as the government and opposition parties trade blows — depending on their point of view — about the country’s failure to deal equitably with those who seek refuge, those who could be a useful addition to the workforce and those who are in the UK to freeload and further damage a struggling economy. There are also populists on the extreme right, who are currently gaining momentum, that believe the newcomers are damaging British society’s white Christian tradition.
The government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, which is aiming to turn around its waning popularity, finds itself in a tight spot, just like many other Western democratic governments. It is grappling with ways to tame the inflow of migrants, while preventing the extreme-right populists from using it as a topic to win votes. The right-wing demagogues have been using immigration to create a toxic narrative that has eroded the standing of the centrist government and is helping them in the race to win voters’ hearts and minds. As a result, the government has been on the back foot.
