Yet again, Brits are telling elites they’re inflicting too much change too quickly | Politics | News

King’s College London’s latest research on immigration shows that 86% of UK people now think there are tensions between immigrants and those born here. In practice, most Britons have welcomed the many newcomers in recent years, employing many of them to do the jobs that need doing. What angers people are illegal arrivals and the government’s prima facie benefits at the expense of resident taxpayers. Given that illegal young men smuggling in unlicensed boats along the canal have not been stopped, it is not surprising that there are current concerns. Most UK citizens think it is wrong for people to enter illegally and then be given free housing, healthcare and financial support even though no one will allow them to come.

Some are housed in fine hotels, where until recently people aspired to go for celebrations and big events. How come now people who break the law come here and are rewarded with priority? Why can’t our hotels be used for their intended purpose? We have seen many protests in areas where people are strongly opposed to this use of hotels. Increasing rents to place them in HMOs could also cause tension among locals seeking affordable housing.

Dominating the news are stories about the early release from prison of foreign criminals who have committed sexual offenses, which naturally creates concern and increases high-profile domestic crime.

Everyone admits that we have homegrown criminals, but that is no reason to let some sexual predators, murderers, tax evaders, illegal business promoters and drug dealers in without adequate checks. Those who were accidentally allowed in and turned out to be criminals want them to be sent back to where they came from as soon as possible.

King’s research reveals broader concerns about the pace of cultural change. While nearly half the country tells pollsters they will vote Reform or Conservative at the next election, it is a matter of great concern that 9 in 10 Reform voters and 7 in 10 Conservative voters think the pace of change is too fast.

This means that many people think that a country should develop where new people are welcomed in numbers that local communities can accept and absorb. We want evolution, not revolution, in which attitudes towards religion, national identity and democracy accept other views at an acceptable pace.

Most conservatives want some change. Everything can be made better. Progress in technology and living standards is welcomed. Most conservatives agree that we should grant asylum to people fleeing torture and death elsewhere, but there are legal ways to do this.

The problem with very high levels of immigration lies in ensuring favorable conditions for new people and reassuring the established community that all will be well as they arrive. Inviting too many people puts us in a difficult situation.

The government’s massive contracting of accommodation for new arrivals is driving up rents. Conversion of hotels into hostels affects the opportunities of a region.

New electricity and gas supplies, expansion of water pipes, expansion of sewerage works increase the need for more rail and road capacity. The established community is then told that it must pay more for water and electricity, and that it must pay more taxes to expand our infrastructure, partly because of the pressure of numbers.

This could lead to resentment because many people did not feel that they were voting for a policy that would greatly increase the population through immigration.

Cultural change has also been rapid regarding sexual and personal identity. I welcome people’s freedom to express themselves and engage in consensual adult relationships as they wish. As a recent court decision shows, this does not mean losing the ability to distinguish between men and women or allowing men to use women-only spaces.

All this put together led to discontent in the conservative half of the country. These concerns span the left/right divide, and others share the feeling that change is happening too quickly.

This doesn’t mean trying to recreate 1950s Britain or giving up the freedoms we’ve gained since then. This means slowing the pace of these changes and being more tolerant of those who are concerned about some of them.