A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Economic asset or welfare tourists? – Political reactions to Eastern European migrants in the UK




SubtitlePolitical reactions to Eastern European migrants in the UK

AuthorsHeinikoski Saila

PublisherThe Institute of Migration

Publishing placeTurku

Publication year2015

JournalSiirtolaisuus - Migration

Volume42

Issue4

First page 3

Last page10

eISSN1799-6406

Web address http://siirtolaisuusinstituutti.fi/files/pdf/siirtolaisuus-migration/2015-4_0.pdf(external)


Abstract

In this article, it is argued that Eastern European migrants have become the focus of critical migration discourse in the current Conservative-led Government in the United Kingdom (UK), after the more welcoming period of the preceding Labour Governments. From the 1990s, the Labour Governments have favoured the enlargement of the European Union (EU) and the free movement of Eastern European migrants within the Union by appealing to economic benefits. The speeches and statements made by the British Ministers for Europe will be used as the main

empirical material of the article, complemented with other political documentation. The analysis addresses the period from the 1990s until the current decade, when people from the new EU Member States have been able to move freely to the UK. While both Labour and Conservative parties have restricted migration from non-EU countries, there are significant differences with regard to their approach to EU migration.

Downloadable publication

This is an electronic reprint of the original article.
This reprint may differ from the original in pagination and typographic detail. Please cite the original version.





Last updated on 2024-26-11 at 22:04