MPs say local quotas can help public confidence in immigration system, while also stressing the importance of government-funded English courses

A group of MPs has urged Theresa May to put in place a regional immigration policy after Brexit under which some parts of Britain would be able to clamp down on the numbers of foreign workers while others could maintain an open-door policy.

The all-party group on social integration said “regional immigration quotas” would help boost the public debate, instil confidence in the system and significantly improve relations between new arrivals to the UK and longer established, local communities.

In a report following an inquiry they said that not enough had been done to acknowledge the impact of rapid migration on many communities. But they also warned that the target to reduce migration to the tens of thousands had “unnecessarily stoked public anxiety” and given the impression that the government was not in control over immigration.

Instead they called for a comprehensive integration strategy from the government and for a requirement that immigrants speak English or are enrolled onto compulsory courses. The MPs claimed that the ability to converse in the local language was a “prerequisite for meaningful engagement with most British people”.

Chuka Umunna, the Labour MP who chairs the group, said: “It’s clear that immigration has impacted on different communities in different ways and the pace of change has alarmed many. The government has a duty to address the lack of integration of immigrants if it is to address this. Failing to do so has left a vacuum for extremists and peddlers of hate to exploit.



“We now need a meaningful integration programme which works for all parts of the UK and an immigration policy which allows all to celebrate and look beyond our differences.”

He called for a “middle way between the laissez-faire multiculturalism favoured by successive British governments and the assimilationist politics of the French Burkini ban”.

On a regional system, the report said: “Promoting the geographic dispersal of immigrants has been shown by numerous academic studies to lead to higher levels of integration.

“In contrast, ‘one size fits all’ immigration systems tend to lead to lopsided patterns of chain migration, wherein new immigrants are attracted to areas with high immigrant concentrations.”

The MPs argued that the fact that foreign workers tended to be attracted to areas with large migrant populations was preventing some areas from benefiting from the economic advantages of immigration.

They cited evidence from local authorities in Scotland who fear the economic damage of a migration clampdown given the country’s key demographic challenge of a declining and ageing population.

But the politicians also warned that “chain migration” – with groups populating particular areas – reduced the imperative for people to improve their English skills and build up knowledge of local cultural practices.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Chuka Umunna called for a ‘meaningful integration programme which works for all parts of the UK’. Photograph: Anthony Devlin/PA

Instead it risked them creating “exclusive social networks and alternative labour markets, which in turn alienates host communities and entrenches social segregation”.

The MPs acknowledged the different demands in parts of the country, with London mayor Sadiq Khan suggesting – like the Scottish government – a special rule for the capital to allow companies to attract skilled workers.

Meanwhile, political representatives in many areas including the east of England have wanted to see action after a rapid increase in numbers.

The interim study, which follows a review by Dame Louise Casey into integration, claims that language is key.

“As was acknowledged by the Casey review, speaking English is the key to full participation in our society and economy, and is a prerequisite for meaningful engagement with most British people,” it said, urging the government markedly increase funding for Esol (English for speakers of other languages) classes.

Evidence taken by the group with regards to the government’s immigration target was that by repeatedly missing the ambition, ministers had simply undermined confidence in the whole system.

Jon Yates, a director of The Challenge – a charity that aims to boost integration, said: “Since 2004, we have seen the largest single wave of immigration that Britain has ever experienced. We have seen limited proactive government policies to support this kind of extraordinary, rapid social change, which has transformed many communities across the UK and left them feeling insecure and increasingly divided.”

Stephen Hale, chief executive of Refugee Action, stressed the need for action on teaching English.

“This is the second influential report in as many months to stress that accessing English language classes is an essential aspect of effective integration,” he said.

“But funding for English classes has been cut by more than half since 2009. Refugees are determined to learn English to enable them to contribute to their new communities through work, volunteering and socialising with their neighbours. They feel deeply frustrated by the lack of classes available.”

A government spokesman said: “Our country has long been home to lots of different cultures and communities, but all of us have to be part of one society – British society. That is why we are rolling out a £20m fund for English language provision and have also made £140m available through the Controlling Migration Fund to local authorities to manage impacts on communities caused by issues such as poor English language skills.

“However, we must also recognise that uncontrolled, mass immigration makes it difficult to maintain social cohesion and puts pressure on public services.”