UK: Large-Scale European Migration and the Challenge to EU Free Movement

Abstract

Whilst the Europeanisation of migration into the United Kingdom began in the 1990s, intra-European flows reshaped migration patterns, and only became a major political issue following the EU enlargement in 2004. The UK’s opening up to the new member states was seen as a means of reorienting immigration for less skilled jobs from third country nationals to Eastern Europeans. However, less noticed was the concurrent growing immigration of Southern Europeans. With the deepening effects of the economic crisis and welfare cuts since 2010, the numbers of Italians and Spanish migrants registered for work have risen sharply. Today the UK is the first destination country for young, and often tertiary educated, Southern European migrants. Many of these migrants seem to be working in low skilled jobs in the hospitality, retail and construction sectors, although others have managed to find jobs commensurate with their education and training. This chapter presents an overview of the recent large-scale southern-European migration to the UK and, through an original analysis of the most recent official statistics, explores the socio-economic profile of these migrants. It also provides a discussion of the political and policy context within which these flows have taken place, such as the growth of anti-immigration sentiments in the mainstream political discourse, often conflated with a criticism of the EU system of free-movement. This process is epitomized by the electoral successes of the ‘UK Independence Party’ which acted as one of the catalysts for the 'Brexit' referendum of June 2016.