The Immigrant: Blessing or Burden?

Ishmam Ahmed

Before blaming migrants for today’s cost of living crisis, it’s important to remember that their contributions have been central to shaping and strengthening the modern British economy.

Britain’s modern story cannot be told without acknowledging the sacrifice and the rebuilding that followed the two world wars.

More than 1.3 million British lives were lost, most of them young men in uniform, during World War II leaving the nation with a devastating labour shortage and a desperate need to restore its public services and industries.

Into this void stepped men and women from across the vast British Empire, that stretched from
the Caribbean and Africa to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, legally British subjects who
answered the call to help rebuild the “mother country”.

On 22 June 1948, the HMT Empire Windrush docked at Tilbury, carrying over a thousand passengers
from different parts of the world. Their arrival marked the beginning of what we now call “The Windrush
generation”.

The wave of migrants arriving in 1948 and the early 1970s, became the backbone of the Britain’s economic and structural recovery. Despite initial challenges of discrimination and housing barriers, their presence enriched the workforce, sustained public services like the NHS and transport, and gradually reshaped social attitudes. This lead to greater recognition of ethnic diversity as part of the national identity.

Their labour was not just useful, it was indispensable. Without them, Britain’s infrastructure and public services would have faltered. To forget their contribution is to forget how modern Britain was rebuilt from the ashes of war.

In the 21st century, migrants make up around 14% of the UK population and a significant share of the
labour force. Public services like the NHS, social care, and transport sectors heavily rely on migrant
workers to meet demand. Without them, staffing shortages would be very severe.

Migrants in the UK are often more inclined toward business and entrepreneurship, and this has become a powerful driver of job creation for both migrants and British citizens. Further to this, migrants contribute billions in taxes, help offset the challenges of an ageing population, and expand consumer markets.

Without migrants, the UK would face sharper labour shortages, lower productivity, and reduced innovation, alongside heavier fiscal pressures from pensions and welfare. The absence of migrant entrepreneurship would also mean fewer businesses, fewer jobs created for British citizens, and less cultural dynamism.

Divisions are being manufactured by some political rhetoric and media framing. Yet the evidence tells a
different story. Far from being the root cause of Britain’s cost of living crisis, migration has consistently
strengthened the UK’s economy.

The Migration Observatory and economists like Jonathan Portes stress that immigration has contributed positively to GDP and tax revenues, while the cost of living crisis stems mainly from global energy shocks, inflation, and housing shortages. To scapegoat migrants is to misdiagnose the problem and distract from the structural issues that demand urgent solutions.

Misinformation 

When misinformation about immigration is weaponised by those seeking political power, it can have
serious consequences for the UK’s economic stability and for the rights of its citizens.

Cutting back on migrants means fewer workers for the NHS, care, farming, and tech, causing staff shortages, lower productivity, and less tax revenue. It also risks suffocating the entrepreneurial drive of migrant-run businesses that have long created jobs and revitalized local economies.

On the other hand, leaders who spread these myths often push laws that limit freedoms and fuel division, which can end up restricting rights for everyone, not just migrants.

In the end, scapegoating immigration weakens the very foundations of the country it claims to protect.