Introduction After years of declining salience as an issue of concern for British voters, the question of immigration has resurfaced in an increasingly fraught public debate. Immigration has become the number one issue of concern to voters, topping the table in Ipsos polling for 32% of the public – despite just 4% of the public saying that it actually affects them personally. 1 In a media landscape driven more than ever by the attention economy, where shock, controversy and soundbites determine the agenda, it often feels like there is a diminished space for evidence-based policy and analysis. Politicians’ efforts to respond to this landscape often de­volve into a competition for rhetorical ground with little public space for policy discussion. The Labour government has made a disappointing start on immigration. Under the leadership of Keir Starmer, Labour has allowed its critics on the far-right to set the agenda, even mimicking some of the policy ideas. Plans for off­shore detention and removal hubs for asylum seekers are under consideration, 2 and an agenda to make citizenship and settled status much more difficult to obtain for all im­migrants, 3 while barring access to it entirely for many refu­gees, 4 would once have been seen as radically right-wing policy. This is disappointing for those that hoped the 2024 change in government would lead to a more humane, inclusive and realistic approach to managing migration. This report sets out some of the key priorities for an alter­native approach. A truly progressive immigration policy would not only be a morally, economically and practically superior choice, but, if well-presented, it could be far more popular with a majority of the public, too. Ironically, there is evidence that advertising the Labour government’s hostility to immigrants if anything only increases support for the Re­form party. 5 Labour needs to stop following Farage and forge its own alternative path guided by firm principles and positive, truthful narratives. In this way, the party would also avoid the risk of ending up in a zero-sum game, per­haps winning back voters on the right wing of the political spectrum, but losing others on the left wing in the process. A progressive and realistic immigration policy must be built on three fundamental pillars; first, that the UK, like almost all highly developed Western economies, needs immigra­tion to support the development of a resilient economy with high quality, well-funded public services; second, that people from around the world either need to or are willing to come to the UK in order to find safety and opportunity, and, third, that it is vital to ensure that the fundamental rights of migrants are protected alongside the rights and wellbeing of the communities that people move into. Unfortunately, in the present UK debate, the interests of host societies and newcomers are presented as opposed to one another, when in fact they are closely aligned. There is a clear relationship of mutual need between migrants seek­ing safety, stability and opportunity in the UK, and British people in an ageing society where the welfare state relies on a working age population that includes migrants. Sys­tems that undermine the rights of migrants create a two­tier workforce that is more easily divided and exploited, while systems that protect people’s rights equally create the circumstances for integrated and cohesive communi­ties. This report highlights three key areas of migration policy where changes must be made that would benefit both mi­grants and the communities that receive them, by remov­ing obstacles to safe arrival, promoting equality in the workplace, and eliminating barriers to integration. The three key priority areas to consider in creating a pro­gressive immigration policy are: 1. Safe and orderly access to asylum. 2. A well-managed labour migration system that promotes workers’ rights. 3. An evidence-based integration and inclusion agenda. 1  https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2024-10/Ipsos-Issues-Index-September-2024-tables.pdf 2  https://www.forbes.com/sites/freylindsay/2025/05/15/uk-in-talks-for-offshore-deportation-hubs-for-asylum-seekers/ 3  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/restoring-control-over-the-immigration-system-white-paper 4  https://freemovement.org.uk/good-character-guidance-amended-to-block-refugees-from-naturalisation/ 5  https://strongmessagehere.substack.com/p/what-messages-might-reform-be-vulnerable Time for change 3