The Making of the Conservative Partys Immigration Policy
This book explains the development of the Conservative Partys immigration policy during the seven decades since 1945, up to today. By bringing together existing theories from the fields of political science and migration studies, this book offers a new model of party policy-making, which could be modified and tested in other contexts.
Grounded in rigorous scholarship, but of interest to general readers as well as specialists and students, this book provides a thoughtful and engaging account of the making of modern Britain. The book draws on 30 interviews with figures who were at the heart of policy-making, from Kenneth Clarke and Douglas Hurd, to Damian Green and Gavin Barwell, to reveal that the national mood often has more impact on policy-making than the empirics of the situation.
This book will be of key interest to scholars, students and readers interested in British politics; immigration and migration studies; Conservative Party politics; and, more broadly, public policy, political parties and European and comparative politics.
Rebecca Partos is a senior analyst in the UK Civil Service, with experience of UK immigration analysis.
Routledge Studies in British Politics
Series editors: Patrick Diamond and Tim Bale of Queen Mary University, London, UK.
This series aims to promote research excellence in political science, political history and public-policy making, whilst addressing a wide array of political dynamics, contexts, histories and ideas. It will retain a particular focus on British government, British Politics and public policy, while locating those issues within a European and global context.
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Edited by Matt Beech, Kevin Hickson and Raymond Plant
British Public Opinion on Foreign and Defence Policy
19452017
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Neoliberalisms in British Politics
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The Making of the Conservative Partys Immigration Policy
Rebecca Partos
First published 2019
by Routledge
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2019 Rebecca Partos
The right of Rebecca Partos to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
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ISBN: 978-1-138-54156-6 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-351-01065-8 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by codeMantra
This book is dedicated to my grandma, Judit, who came to the UK to make a new life in the same year as the moon landing (1969).
I am most obliged to the politicians, civil servants, researchers and scholars who took the time to speak with me, several of whom I spent many hours with. Their support has been critical to this research. The interviews (see ) were one of the most enjoyable parts of the process. My thanks are also due to the staff at the National Archives, Kew and the Conservative Party Archive, Oxford.
This book would not have been possible without the expertise and guidance of my supervisors, Paul Webb and James Hampshire, and, for one year, Tim Bale. I am indebted to them for their enthusiasm (even when mine was low) and their always timely and necessary criticism. I could not have hoped for better supervisors.
My thanks are due to the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). If it had not been for their financial support, this research would never have got off the ground. I was fortunate to be a member of the Department of Politics at the University of Sussex, who part funded my stipend.
If I had not been Chair of the (now defunct) Postgraduate Network (PGN) of the Political Studies Association, this research would likely have been completed some time ago. Nonetheless, the experience was invaluable, and I was privileged to meet with established and early-career scholars who passed on tips and polling data that made me look at my research in a new way.
In 2014, the Home Office took me on for six months as a Research Officer within the Migration & Border Analysis Unit. A break from the thesis was invaluable. I was also fortunate to be able to present my doctoral research, and I received useful insights into immigration policy-making.
My editor at Routledge, Sophie Iddamalgoda, is surely the most patient editor in existence. Many thanks for bearing with me.
I owe a debt of gratitude to my family, my father, Gabriel Partos, my step-father, Peter Main and my mother, Vesna Main. Thank you for your support and encouragement.
And to Tom Martin, whose cynicism, sweetness and theoretical knowledge continues to surprise me.
BDTCBritish Dependant Territories Citizen(s)BNABritish Nationality Act (various)BN(O)British National(s) (Overseas)CBIConfederation of British IndustryCIACommonwealth Immigrants Act (various)CPAConservative Party ArchiveCPCConservative Political CentreCRDConservative Research DepartmentCUKCCitizen(s) of the United Kingdom and ColoniesECOEntry Clearance OfficerEECEuropean Economic CommunityEFTAEuropean Free Trade AssociationEUEuropean UnionICTIntra-Company TransferIPPRInstitute for Public Policy ResearchLCCLeaders Consultative CommitteeMACMigration Advisory CommitteeMEPMember of European ParliamentMPMember of (UK) ParliamentNFNational FrontNGONon-Governmental OrganisationNHSNational Health ServicePORDPublic Opinion Research DepartmentTNANational Archives of the UKUKIPUnited Kingdom Independence PartyUKPHUK passport-holder(s)
The politics of immigration is deeply contested, and policy-making in this field is no less controversial. In a globalising world in which immigration policy incites debate about identity, citizenship and rights, the consequences of policy are hugely significant. It is difficult to imagine a time when immigration was not a powerful motivating force for the electorate, nor a top priority for parliamentary debates and news bulletins in Britain. After the UKs 2016 referendum in favour of leaving the EU a decision which, for many voters, was motivated by concerns about immigration it has never been more critical to consider the politics of British immigration policy-making within a wider historical context.
