Modern Migration and Multicultural Britain

The final lesson in the Migration, Empires and the People course examines how migration has continued to shape Britain from the late 20th century to the present day. Britain is now one of the most culturally diverse nations in Europe, and debates about migration, identity, and belonging remain central to public life.

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Waves of Migration Since the 1970s

Period	Migration
1970s	Ugandan Asians (expelled by Idi Amin, 1972); Vietnamese "boat people" (refugees from the Vietnam War); continued South Asian and Caribbean migration
1980s--1990s	Refugees from conflicts in Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, the former Yugoslavia (Bosnian War), and elsewhere
2004	EU enlargement: citizens of eight new EU member states (including Poland, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic) gained the right to work in Britain; large-scale migration from Eastern Europe followed
2010s	Continued EU migration; Syrian refugees; migration from sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia
2020s	Post-Brexit immigration rules; new visa categories; migration from Hong Kong (following political crackdowns)

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Ugandan Asians (1972)

Feature	Detail
Background	In August 1972, the Ugandan dictator Idi Amin ordered the expulsion of all South Asians from Uganda (approximately 80,000 people)
British response	Despite some opposition, the British government under Edward Heath accepted approximately 27,000 Ugandan Asians who held British passports
Settlement	Many settled in Leicester, which became one of the most diverse cities in Britain
Contribution	Ugandan Asians made significant economic and cultural contributions; many established successful businesses
Hostility	They faced some racism and resentment, but their economic success gradually earned wider acceptance

Exam Tip: The Ugandan Asians are an important case study because they show how forced migration (as a result of decolonisation) created new communities in Britain. Their economic success challenges stereotypes about migrants being a "burden."

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EU Migration (2004 Onwards)

The expansion of the European Union in 2004 led to the largest wave of migration to Britain since the Second World War.

Feature	Detail
Scale	An estimated 1 million Polish migrants came to Britain between 2004 and 2016, making Poles the largest foreign-born group in the country
Occupations	EU migrants worked in agriculture, food processing, construction, hospitality, healthcare, and other sectors
Contribution	Studies showed that EU migrants paid more in taxes than they received in public services
Settlement	Polish communities developed across Britain, including in areas with little previous experience of immigration (e.g. rural Lincolnshire, East Anglia)
Hostility	Some communities experienced tensions over housing, public services, and cultural change; EU migration became a major political issue

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Brexit and Immigration

Immigration was one of the central issues in the 2016 EU referendum.

Feature	Detail
Leave campaign	Argued that Britain had lost control of its borders; "Take back control" was a key slogan
Remain campaign	Argued that EU migration benefited the economy and public services
Result	52% voted to Leave; 48% voted to Remain
Post-Brexit	Freedom of movement ended on 31 December 2020; a new points-based immigration system was introduced
Impact	Labour shortages in some sectors (agriculture, hospitality, healthcare) following the reduction in EU migration

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Multicultural Britain

Modern Britain is a multicultural society --- a society made up of people from many different cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds.

Cultural Contributions

Area	Example
Food	Chicken tikka masala (often called Britain's national dish); Caribbean jerk chicken; Chinese, Italian, and Polish cuisines are all part of British everyday life
Music	Reggae, ska, bhangra, grime, and Afrobeat have all influenced British popular music; artists like Stormzy, M.I.A., and Wiley reflect Britain's multicultural heritage
Sport	Black and minority ethnic athletes have excelled in football, cricket, athletics, and boxing; the diversity of teams like England's football squad reflects modern Britain
Literature and art	Writers like Andrea Levy (Small Island), Zadie Smith (White Teeth), and Kazuo Ishiguro (The Remains of the Day) have explored themes of migration, identity, and belonging
Language	British English has been enriched by words from hundreds of languages, including Hindi, Arabic, Yiddish, and Polish
Festivals	Notting Hill Carnival, Diwali, Eid, Chinese New Year, and many other celebrations are now part of the British calendar

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Challenges Facing Multicultural Britain

Challenge	Detail
Racism	Despite progress, racial discrimination persists in employment, housing, education, and the criminal justice system
The Stephen Lawrence case (1993)	The murder of Black teenager Stephen Lawrence in London and the police's failure to bring his killers to justice led to the Macpherson Report (1999), which found the Metropolitan Police to be "institutionally racist"
Islamophobia	Anti-Muslim prejudice increased after the 9/11 attacks (2001) and the London bombings (7 July 2005)
Integration debate	Ongoing debate about how to balance cultural diversity with social cohesion; different models include multiculturalism, assimilation, and integration
Far-right movements	Groups like the BNP and EDL have exploited anxieties about immigration and cultural change
Windrush scandal (2018)	Long-term Caribbean residents wrongly classified as illegal immigrants (covered in the previous lesson)

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Legislation and Policy

Date	Legislation/Policy	Detail
1965	First Race Relations Act	Made racial discrimination in public places illegal (very limited in scope)
1968	Race Relations Act	Extended to employment and housing
1976	Race Relations Act	Made indirect discrimination illegal; established the Commission for Racial Equality
2000	Race Relations (Amendment) Act	Required public bodies to promote racial equality
2010	Equality Act	Consolidated and strengthened anti-discrimination legislation covering race, gender, disability, sexuality, religion, and age

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Themes Across the Entire Course

Theme	Examples
Migration has always shaped Britain	Vikings, Normans, Jews, Flemish, Huguenots, Irish, Caribbean, South Asian, EU migrants
Migrants contribute economically and culturally	Every wave of migration has enriched Britain's economy, culture, and society
Migration provokes hostility	From the persecution of medieval Jews to the Windrush scandal, migrants have faced prejudice and discrimination
Government responses vary	From encouraging migration (Flemish weavers, Windrush recruitment) to restricting it (Aliens Act, Commonwealth Immigrants Acts, Brexit)
Empire created migration	The slave trade, colonisation, and decolonisation all drove massive movements of people
Identity is complex	What it means to be "British" has changed over a thousand years and continues to evolve

Exam Tip: The final exam question may ask you to make a judgement across the entire period (c790--present). Be prepared to identify the most significant turning points, trace key themes, and argue whether migration has had a positive or negative impact on Britain --- or, more likely, to present a balanced view showing that it has been both.

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Key Dates

Date	Event
1972	Ugandan Asians arrive in Britain
1993	Murder of Stephen Lawrence
1999	Macpherson Report finds "institutional racism"
2004	EU enlargement; large-scale Eastern European migration
2010	Equality Act
2016	Brexit referendum
2018	Windrush scandal

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Extended Worked Paragraph: Q4 "Main Factor" Question

Specimen question: "Government legislation was the main factor improving the experience of migrants in Britain since 1945." How far do you agree? Explain your answer with reference to legislation and other factors. [16 marks + 4 SPaG]