‘We need a reset’ in how we talk about immigration, MP tells festival debate

A Labour MP has called for a “reset” in the way politicians talk about immigration, saying the “really dangerous” tone of the debate over recent years has dehumanised migrants and disillusioned voters.

Speaking at an on-stage debate at the Edinburgh Fringe on Sunday, Michael Shanks said “rhetoric about Rwanda and the small boats” during the election campaign had made immigration a “vortex issue”.

He told the Iain Dale All Talk event that immigration was then blamed for real problems like NHS waiting lists and unemployment.

He said this was a problem because misleading voters as to the causes of problems they faced, while at the same time not proposing viable solutions, had “fuelled” peoples’ sense of disillusionment with politics, leading many to decide not to vote at all.

“The narrative about immigration has become really dangerous, and it has fuelled a lot of this,” he said.

He added: “I think we need a reset in some of that language that we use as a Government, we need to stop the kind of dehumanising of people that come to this country and contribute to the economy.”

He was at the same time keen to distinguish “legitimate concerns” by people who felt “left behind” from the “mindless” criminal behaviour seen during recent disorder in towns and cities in England and Northern Ireland, which he said could not be justified.

The issue of trust in politics was a persistent theme in the debate, with host Matthew Stadlen asking panellists about the current electoral system, the role of social media, and the issue of Scottish independence.

Mr Slater was also asked whether Labour had delivered on its change agenda in its first five weeks in power.

He was pressed in particular on his party’s refusal to reverse the two-child benefit cap, which, Conservative MP Andrew Bowie pointed out, the party had spent “five years opposing”.

The West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine MP told Mr Slater that failing to reverse the policy now Labour were in power would contribute to voter disillusionment, explaining that “people want politicians to do as they say”.

Mr Slater responded that Labour had been clear during the election campaign that reversing the cap was an “aspiration” rather than a plan, and that it had not been in the party’s manifesto.

Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine was also asked about electoral reform, and said that her party would still push for a change to the current First Past the Post system despite returning 72 MPs in the last election on a smaller vote share than Reform, who only won five seats.

“Just because we did well this time doesn’t mean that we don’t think the electoral system has to change,” she said, adding that the country should adopt a proportional representation voting system.

When it was pointed out that this would have meant Reform would have won many more seats, she said: “You don’t make the electoral system to suit what ideology you don’t like, or what ideology you do like. You have a fair electoral system.

“Maybe if we had a fair electoral system, people wouldn’t vote for them. They would vote for different parties, but you have to look at not the electoral system but why people voted for Reform.”

The panellists were all in agreement on the importance of immigration to Scotland.

Mr Bowie pointed out that of 720,000 migrants who came to the UK last year, only 20,000 came to Scotland, which he said showed “we are doing something wrong in Scotland”.

He said: “Immigration is is a good thing, especially those that come here to study because… you’re more likely to invest in and have a good relationship with a country that you have spent your formative years in.”

Kirsty Blackman of the SNP responded by blaming the skills-based system used to assess migration applications, which she said was biased in favour of England.

“They’re not looking at the jobs that we need in Scotland,” she said.

“If they put fish processors on that list, for example, if they put jobs that we actually need in Scotland, you would see higher numbers of people because they will be allowed to go to Scotland.

“The salary threshold is discriminatory against Scotland because salaries are lower and sold out because cost of living is lower in Scotland.”

The panellists were also asked about their predictions in the 2026 Holyrood elections.

Ms Blackman was pessimistic about her party’s chances of gaining a majority, saying: “Going on where we currently are, it’s not going to be an SNP majority.

“I would actually say I don’t think it’s likely to be a majority for anyone.”

Other panellists agreed, with Ms Jardine suggesting that this would be good for the country.

“We won’t have an overall majority, but then I don’t think that’s a bad thing because I think that means we have to talk to one another and work together.”