Migration and Brexit

Abstract

This article aims to indicate the role and importance of migration issues in the British social and political discourse in the period before Brexit. The article consists of three main parts. The first part adumbrates basic information about immigration to the UK, the scale and intensity of the phenomenon. It is pointed out here that the United Kingdom is currently ranked among the group of EU countries with the highest influx of foreigners. The second part focuses on the role and importance of immigration in the British social and political discourse. It is noted here that since the turn of the twentieth century the issue of immigration in the UK has gained the status of one of the key social and political issues. At the same time, compared with many other countries, Great Britain is today perceived as a country much more reluctant to immigrants. The third part presents the contribution of immigrants from European Union countries to the social and economic development of Great Britain. It is emphasized here that generally immigration from European Union countries has a positive, though in some areas slight impact on the British economy and the level of social development.