Labour’s 2017 manifesto stated: “Freedom of movement will end when we leave the European Union.
This was the policy on which people based their decision to vote. In April 2019, Jeremy Corbyn’s spokesperson confirmed that Labour policy was that freedom of movement would end with Brexit.
On Wednesday this week (25 Sep 2019), Labour conference delegates voted against that policy, and in favour of both maintaining and extending freedom of movement.
On its final day, Labour’s conference approved a radical policy motion advocating:
The extension of free movement
The closure of all detention centres
The granting of unconditional rights for family members to enter too
Immediate access to all benefits
And the awarding of equal voting rights to new entrants
Meanwhile in Brussels…
On Thursday — the day after Labour conference delegates voted to allow open borders — the EU released its latest official figures for asylum seekers into the EU. These show that almost 1 million asylum applications have been made since the start of 2018 to the end of June (Q2 2019).
Almost 150,000 first-time applications were made in the last quarter alone. The top ten nationalities were:-
- Syrian
- Venezuelan
- Afghan
- Colombian
- Iraqi
- Pakistani
- Nigerian
- Turkish
- Georgian
- Iranian
Ten years ago, the numbers were far lower. In fact in 2009 there were 196,000 first-time asylum applications in the whole of that year — that’s less than a third of the current rate.
Finally, the latest ONS data for the immigration of EU nationals
To complete the picture, the official ONS data for the year ended Mar 2019 shows 200,000 EU27 nationals entering the UK on a long-term basis in that 12-month period.
Contrary to what most Remain MPs seem to claim, no Brexiteers l know wish to close the UK’s borders to ALL immigrants.
Furthermore, it is not the policy of either of the two main political parties which still respect the Leave vote in the 2016 Referendum — the Conservatives and the Brexit Party.
In broad terms, both these parties advocate the end to freedom of movement from the EU and a selective immigration system for all EU and non-EU citizens. The main difference right now is that the Brexit Party would end free movement immediately, whereas the Conservatives will only do so after some as yet indeterminate period, likely to be in around four years’ time.
I would simply point out to the Labour delegates who voted at their conference last week that social harmony is engendered by natural integration of a limited number of newcomers into any society. If you wish to open the borders to all, don’t be surprised if voters decide accordingly at the polls.
