Playing the MAGA game will not work in the UK

Is it desperate posturing or simply gaslighting for electioneering purposes and to grab the headlines? Or is there a more sinister agenda that reflects remedies, imported from America, for an overinflated problem that could win its propagators easy votes? This week’s policy announcement by Reform UK to tackle immigration through changing the country’s settlement system and carrying out mass deportations could only fall into those categories. Such actions are likely to be costly and difficult to implement, while sowing greater division and discord and damaging social cohesion.

No one can doubt that there has been a rise in xenophobia across Britain in the decade since the Brexit vote, but this is now intensifying, as is the case across Europe. This rhetoric pits the so-called natives against the newcomers. Unlike in the multiracial, multicultural Britain of the 1990s, the ultra-right populists are no longer confined to the fringes and are now capable of winning seats in Parliament, in addition to having hundreds of local councilors around the country.

In the UK, like in various European nations, racist and discriminatory discourse is being normalized and even amplified by a less-than-innocent social media algorithm. And this coincides with a wave of US support for voices seen once as marginal under the guise of protecting freedom of speech. High-profile American politicians are also offering highly questionable help to prevent an apparent erasure of European values, or simply to protect a purer Western European society across the board.

Unlike in the multiracial, multicultural Britain of the 1990s, the ultra-right populists are no longer confined to the fringes

Mohamed Chebaro

The increasingly popular Reform UK party led by Nigel Farage, a colorful politician who is close to US President Donald Trump, announced this week that it would deport migrants in their droves if it came to power. This was described as “sadistic” by one migrants rights organization, while Reform’s plan to establish detention centers run by a “UK Deportation Command” modeled on the US’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement to deal with the so-called invasion of the country by migrants was branded “grotesque.” Zia Yusuf, Reform’s home affairs spokesman and a son of migrants himself, described the level of immigration into Britain as a “national security emergency.”

The party this week presented its most detailed immigration policies to date. Yusuf promised to introduce an “Illegal Migration Mass Deportation Act” to compel the government to ⁠deport migrants who enter the country illegally ⁠and block judges from intervening. He said the proposed deportation command would be able to deport up to 288,000 people annually.

Though Yusuf thankfully hinted that Britain was unlikely to experience the violent situations witnessed in the US, he promised that, on its first day in office, a Reform UK government would implement a range of policies to crack down on immigration. It would use mass deportations and mass surveillance to complement a radical overhaul of the country’s “indefinite leave to remain” system.

Yusuf went on to promise a Trump-inspired deportation agency with the capacity to detain 24,000 migrants at a time and five deportation flights every day. He would grant the new command the right to search the properties of flagged terrorists and ban the conversion of churches into mosques across the country. In addition, Yusuf pledged to stop state benefits payments to foreign nationals and promised a visa ban for nationals from Pakistan, Somalia, Eritrea, Sudan, Afghanistan and Syria if those countries’ governments refused to take back their deported citizens.

America is a superpower — countries dare not oppose it — but in the UK’s case it could be a different matter

Mohamed Chebaro

Migration and distinctiveness in society have become increasingly divisive issues over the last two decades, as the overstretched economies of the West struggle to grow due to labor shortages, while the welfare purse is shrinking at a time when the demands of an aging society are increasing, especially for health and social care. This double-edged sword of a post-Brexit UK labor market needs skilled workers. The rise in anti-immigrant sentiment because some believe there are too many foreign-born people in the UK cannot be resolved at the strike of a pen.

Reform UK is using the same rhetoric that helped others to climb the ladders of power, from Trump’s America to various parts of Europe, capitalizing on the division of society into “us and them.” But voters should be careful who they give their votes to, since what Trump has achieved in the US is unlikely to be replicated in the UK, even if all the relevant legislation is put in place. Britain is not the same as America and, even if such acts were to clear all the legislative and legal hurdles, you cannot force countries to accept deportees. America is a superpower — poorer and weaker countries dare not oppose it — but in the UK’s case it could be a different matter.

There might have been a rise in the number of foreigners in the UK and maybe some have failed to integrate, while some may have abused their welcome by exploiting the system. But that is a marginal matter, as population growth is important for most countries, including the UK. Governments must ensure any reforms permit newcomers to be absorbed into the labor market as, without them, the economy will not grow. At the same time, they must take the necessary steps to prevent abuse of the system, while offering a safe haven for those most in need.

Balance is clearly not on the agenda of Reform UK. Instead, this party is bent on spreading toxic rhetoric and divisive messaging simply to gain power without necessarily having what it takes to provide answers to the many pressing questions of the UK electorate. People want to see a reduction in the cost of living, the provision of safety and policing, and a better-performing, more economic state that is capable of offering health and education — two key tenets of any growing society.

• Mohamed Chebaro is a British-Lebanese journalist with more than 25 years’ experience covering war, terrorism, defense, current affairs and diplomacy.