The truth behind EU immigration
With Eurosceptic parties becoming increasingly popular throughout Europe, from UKIP in England to Front National in France and Syriza in Greece, the public has spoken. Mainstream political parties are being forced to reconsider their views and stances on the subject, or perhaps problem, of Europe. Some UK parties promise referendums, some reform, and some, such as UKIP, promise complete abandonment of the European Union.
UKIP’s opinion of Europe, and their desire to remove the UK from the Union, is based on various factors, such as the EU as a ‘bureaucratic organisation writing our laws’, as well as it ‘costing us all £55 million per day in membership fees’1. But the key issue, according to this party, is that of immigration. They petition against it, they complain that Britain is no longer British, and they claim that the immigrants are a drain on the UK economy and the government’s benefits system. They spur anger amongst the people of Britain, and arguably even mild racism.
With the issue becoming more prevalent in the British media, and Nigel Farage gaining more airtime, it has become necessary to truly assesss Farage’s claims in an attempt to evaluate the true effect of EU immigration on the UK. The statistics cannot be denied. The UK economy has benefited from immigration. A recent study by University College London even said recent immigrants were less likely to claim benefits and live in social housing than people born in Britain.
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By Rachel Hughes-Morgan