At its peak, the British Empire was the largest in history. By 1913, it governed around 412 million people, which was 23% of the world’s population at the time. It earned the phrase “the empire on which the sun never sets” because the sun was always shining on at least one of its territories. As a result, Britain’s linguistic and cultural influence can be found almost everywhere in the world today. Understanding the migration impact on the UK is essential to grasp how this vast empire shaped not only the world but also Britain itself. The legacy of migration from the empire’s territories deeply influenced the UK’s demographics, culture, and economy throughout the 20th century.

The early 1900s saw relatively low immigration to the UK. Sailors and workers from India and the West Indies made up a small portion of migrants. Compared to later decades, these numbers were small. This low migration was largely due to nationalist policies during and after World War I, which continued through the first half of the 20th century and World War II. However, after World War II ended in 1945, a labour shortage triggered mass immigration that transformed Britain’s population. This wave started with migrants arriving from the Commonwealth.

THE WINDRUSH GENERATION

Famously named after the ship “Empire Windrush” which brought the first group of 500 migrant workers from the Caribean. These migrants were all encouraged to make the move by the 1948 British Nationality Act that granted citizenship and right of abode in the UK to all members of the British Empire. And migrant labour from the Commonwealth helped reconstruct the country after World War Two including developing the transport and health services.

Kenyan Asians forced to migrate to the UK

During the Empire, Britain encouraged thousands of Asians to migrate and work for British companies in Kenya. After Kenya gained independence in 1963, many kept their British passports. They did not know that the Kenyan government introduced a law. This law allowed foreign nationals to keep jobs only until a Kenyan national could replace them. As a result, thousands of Kenyan Asians moved to Britain to start a new life. By the late 1960s, over one million people, or 6.4% of the UK’s population, were born outside the UK.

The infamous Idi Amin

One of the most infamous Dictators to set themselves in the History books. In 1972, Idi Amin accused Ugandan Asians of “milking Uganda’s money” and expelled 50,000 African-Asians, seizing their assets in the process. A move which hugely impacted the Ugandan economy and meant the UK welcomed 28,000 migrants, many originally from part of the UK commonwealth having come from India.

Migration impact on UK was significant during this period. In the UK, migrant factory workers were essential components for businesses in the 1960s and 1970s. As well as the tourism and catering sectors, which were a major earner for the British economy and continue to be heavily staffed by immigrant workers today.

Immigration today – has it had a positive or negative impact?

The main concern with immigration is that it can cause a rise in racism. This often comes from settled people who feel threatened by new arrivals. However, evidence shows racism is higher in segregated communities. In contrast, places like London, where many backgrounds mix, see less racism. A major reason for increased immigration is that many negative attitudes from nearly 100 years ago are now seen as unacceptable.

Reducing immigration was also a key foundation to the success of the vote leave campaign for Britain to leave the EU, but with a potential misrepresentation of the impact EU citizens are having on the UK. Last year, Non-EU migration peaked to its highest levels in 2018 at 240,000 vs EU migration to the UK of 74,000. At the moment over three times as many migrants are coming to the UK from non EU countries compared to the EU. Although it must be said EU migration was increasing prior to Britain’s decision to leave the EU and almost matched that of Non EU migration in 2015 but has never exceeded non-EU migration in any given year.

Statistics show that EEA migrants tend to have more skills than British workers. They do not cause a drain on public services. Their contribution is net positive, meaning they pay more in taxes than the cost of the services they use. Many work in social care and health sectors. Currently, 922,000 people in the UK come from Poland — the highest number by country. They are followed by India with 829,000 and Pakistan with 522,000 immigrants.

So has migration been good or bad for the UK?

Migration impact on UK is evident when you look at figures pertaining to economic contribution, job creation, and increased tax revenue. They fully support the notion that immigration has a positive impact on the UK economy. This is not even factoring in the cultural richness immigrants importantly contribute to as well. Economic insecurity, including difficulty in finding new jobs, can cause anti-immigration beliefs, but looking deeper, are these issues necessarily due to immigration itself or the failure of the UK government to implement sufficient policies to support its people?

How it all connects to Crypto

Although the Bank of England has shown interest in creating its own cryptocurrency, their general stance is still highly negative towards any and all cryptocurrencies, as do other central banks and governments across the globe do. Only a week ago its chief economist called Bitcoin speculative and unreliable, and most importantly the Financial Conduct Authority which is regulating financial products has banned all crypto sales.

If you think long and hard the reasoning of Brexit and the ban of cryptocurrencies are quite similar. It’s fear of the unknown which has been drip-fed to a pampered nation with a spoiled generation.

Migration impact on UK is undeniable. Migration has been good to the UK, to a very large extent. The British colonial empire became what it is based on cheap labour and misuse. Modern Britain thrived off of poor and work-depraved immigrants who came to the UK to build it from the ground up.