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How immigration became a burning political issue

How immigration became a burning political issue

Posted on 11 November 2024 • TV and radio

A new two-part Open University/BBC co-production, which airs today, Monday 11 November on BBC2 at 9pm, asks the question as to who or what made immigration something that could not be ignored.

Sociology Lecturer Dr Kathryn Medien was the OU consultant on the documentary Immigration: How British Politics Failed which interviews past Prime Ministers including Labour’s Tony Blair (pictured) and the Tory party’s David Cameron on the emotive subject.

Others who appear in the documentary include the Reform UK politician Nigel Farage, who is now an MP for Clacton in Essex, plus migrant activists and government and media insiders.

All talk openly about the challenges they faced and decisions they made. Media figures and migrant activists explain how these choices transformed the landscape of our national life.

Origins of the migration debate

Kathryn says the series explores how immigration came to be a burning political issue at the forefront of the minds of the British public.

“Immigration often tops political polls as one of the most important issues facing Britain, but this wasn’t always the case,” she said.

This series discovers the origins of the current debate in the early 2000s when a research group named Migration Watch helped transform how politicians and the media talked about immigration and helped shape policy at the highest levels.

Kathryn said:

“The episodes do a great job of charting how debates concerning migration have shifted to the right, and how they have been shaped by the War on Terror, austerity, EU enlargement, and various political movements and figures.”

She added:

“Taking part was a great experience. My role included reviewing the outline for the series, meeting with the BBC producers when they were in the process of selecting interviewees, attending a filming day, and reviewing and offering feedback on initial edits of the series. I also created an associated OU Connect resource that explores the history of British citizenship.”

Kathryn’s research background looks at the connections between state violence, border regimes, gender, race, and anti-racism. She aims to bring a global analysis to contemporary social issues, and to date her research has focused on Britain, the Middle East, and North Africa. She is a co-editor of the recent volume Border Abolition Now.

This series was commissioned by Broadcast and Partnerships and is supported by Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, with particular relevance to:

Commissioned by Dr Caroline Ogilvie, Director, Broadcast and Partnerships
Academic Consultant: Dr Kathryn Medien
Media Fellow/s: Zoe Walkington
Broadcast Project Manager: Poppy Ross
Supporting Online Content: Xinmiao Zhang

Supporting Online content:

Visit our Broadcast website OU Connect where Dr Kathryn Medien provides an insight into the various laws that have shaped and determined who is a British citizen. Through exploring the stories of two fictional families, you can learn about how the redefining of Britain’s borders impacts daily life.

(NB: this site may not be live or complete prior to broadcast)