Migration is not a problem to be solved. It is a reality to be managed so that those who migrate and the communities they join are both able to benefit from the inevitable movement of people. This requires cooperation across borders and the UK should seek to be a force for positive change in the global migration system.
As people become more mobile and as the growing climate crisis forces more of humanity to move, UK foreign policy can help build a just and progressive global system for managing the movement of people.
Current arrangements, however, see the UK government providing training, finance and technology to some of the world’s most brutal and repressive regimes so that they can prevent their own citizens from attempting to leave their shores. Those who flee and are caught are often subject to extreme violence and, in some cases, are sold by ruthless militia into slavery. The UK can rebuild its role in the world by leading in the creation of a global system of cooperat…