King's College London

The Your Voice on Immigration report was commissioned by MPs and drew on deliberative workshops and methods to examine the views of the British public on questions of work-related immigration.

The project was led by the cross-party think tank DEMOS. At King’s, Kirstie Hewlett and Marypaz Ventura-Arrieta of the Policy Institute provided expert support. Professor Andrew Blick and Professor Christel Koop, from the King’s Centre for British Democracy, also collaborated on the project.

The report was published in Westminster on 7 September by the Home Affairs Select Committee and will be used to inform the work of MPs on scrutinising the government’s immigration and work policy.

Your Voice on Immigration saw nearly 100 people invited to participate in the events across the country. Over the course of a weekend they explored, debated and came to collective conclusions about a central question: The government has set a goal of reducing net migration the UK for work; in what ways should work-related immigration be reduced?

Events took place in North Tyneside, Leicester and Renfrewshire. At each workshop around 30 people came together, reflecting the local area by demographics and views on immigration and politics, to discuss the issues. A panel of experts set out the key information and different considerations underpinning the work-based immigration debate. The participants then worked together to develop a set of principles that should underpin how Government and parliament should approach work-related immigration policy.

Prof Blick said: “This report makes an important substantive contribution in a high-salience policy area. It also demonstrates that members of the public are able to deliberate carefully on a complex and contentious subject like immigration.