Calling all cliches: Legitimate concerns

Mainstream politicians are very keen to acknowledge that people have legitimate concerns about immigration. Quite what those concerns are is seldom spelt out, though if pushed, the talk will turn to either stresses on housing and infrastructure, or – more likely – the immediate manifestations of immigration: small boats, hotels, that kind of thing.

What’s not legitimate is anything that might smack of racism or xenophobia. In 1978 Margaret Thatcher talked of how ‘people are really rather afraid that this country might be rather swamped by people with a different culture’. That would probably be considered illegitimate now. Last year, Sir Keir Starmer said that ‘we risk becoming an island of strangers’ – prefacing his comments with ‘this is what I believe in’ – which prompted complaints that he was echoing Enoch Powell’s ‘they found themselves made strangers in their own country’. Starmer apologised for uttering the phrase. ‘I’ll give you the honest truth: I deeply regret using it.’

But anyway, times are very different to 1978, when Thatcher promised ‘the clear prospect of an end to immigration because at the moment it is about between 45,000 and 50,000 people coming in a year’. The most recent government figures, for the year ended March 2026, show that the same number arrived through illegal routes alone, while there were over 400,000 student visas granted, around 250,000 on work visas and smaller numbers in other categories – a total of just over 725,000.

Despite the changes, one thing remains: we mustn’t ignore the legitimate concerns of the people. But when did these concerns first appear? Well, let’s go back nearly sixty years…

‘Bad feeling is far more likely to occur if we ignore the legitimate concern of electors than if we have the courage to speak frankly. Most sensible people would agree that the limit to the number of immigrants which this country can absorb has now been reached.’ – Guy Wallis, former Liberal council candidate in North Kensington, 1968 [1]

‘“If only half the reports of serious immigrant overcrowding in Rugby I have heard are credible, then there can be no room for any more, according to British standards,” he [Liberal parliamentary candidate, John Campbell] said. “Most people are convinced that the authorities are afraid even to look at the problem. Arrogant attacks on people who are only voicing the legitimate concerns or the native population can only make a bad situation worse.”’ – 1972 [2]

‘While enforced racial integration is being relentlessly pursued, legitimate concerns shown by the indigenous population goes unheeded and anxieties expressed are dismissed as racialist.’ – Charles Parker, National Front parliamentary candidate for Walsall North, 1977 [3]

‘He [Conservative prime minister, John Major] warned that there was “a legitimate concern” about prospective immigration but insisted that he cared as much as Mr [Bernie] Grant about racial harmony in Britain.’ – 1991 [4]

‘Racial tensions in France and Germany were the result of immigration pressures and “refusal on behalf of the political establishment to address the legitimate concerns of the electorate,” he [Conservative MP Winston Churchill] said. “We are fortunate that the situation in Britain is not yet as serious as it is in France or Germany. But we will ignore the lessons of Germany at our peril.”’ –1993 [5]

‘The English are not our enemies, and there is no need for us to draw up battle lines over this. Neither should those who are genuinely concerned about the effects of English immigration be bullied into silence, however. If a problem exists, then it is of legitimate concern to all Scots and should be open to discussion. Let us not have any taboos.’ – letter to the Courier and Advertiser, Dundee, 1993 [6]

‘Editor’s note: Maurice Jones thoroughly researched a controversial subject and produced a story which raised legitimate concerns and debate. It is ridiculous to suggest any agenda other than quite proper investigation and analysis. However, I accept that the use of the words “dregs” in the headline caused offence to any and should not have been used. It certainly was not meant as a vehicle to insult the Irish community in Luton.’ – South Bedfordshire on Sunday, 1996 [7]

‘The reluctance to enter the debate is understandable. Just raising questions can leave a person open to accusations of racism. But I have concluded that it is not racist to address the legitimate concerns that people have. On the contrary, it would be irresponsible not to do so.’ – Labour MP Stephen Byers, 2003 [8]

‘Oliver Letwin, the [Conservative] shadow home secretary, warned yesterday that support for the British National Party would grow unless mainstream politicians got to grips with the “legitimate concerns” of voters over immigration. Phil Woolas, Labour MP for Oldham East, which was hit by riots last year, also issued a stern warning on the potential appeal of the BNP to disaffected whites. He complained that race attacks against white people were not being treated seriously enough by the police and cautioned that communities could turn to the BNP if they felt their worries were not being taken seriously.’ – 2003 [9]

‘For too long, people have felt unable to talk about their proper and legitimate concerns. Why? Because they are frightened they will be accused of being racists.’ – Conservative leader Michael Howard, 2005 [10]

‘Home Office minister Hazel Blears [Labour] admitted there were “legitimate concerns” over immigration.’ – 2005 [11]

‘Communities secretary John Denham [Labour] said that while the affluent often felt “culturally enriched” by migration, working class people found it harder to accept because of the pressure it placed on their job, housing and training opportunities. The result was a sharp divide in opinion on the benefits of migration and an understandable “sense of unfairness”. Mr Denham said the best way to tackle the tensions caused by migration was to accept the legitimate concerns of those who were most affected by it.’ – 2009 [12]

‘We have to acknowledge that people such as Gillian Duffy have legitimate concerns and we must be the ones to articulate a solution.’ – Conservative foreign minister, Baroness Warsi, 2013 [13]

‘Shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna [Labour] said: “People absolutely have legitimate concerns about controlling the numbers that come in and out.”’ – 2015 [14]

‘The two men [Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Archbishop of York John Sentamu] say that refugees and migrants should be given a “generous and hospitable” welcome but politicians should not be “deaf to the legitimate concerns” about the impact of immigration on communities.’ – 2017 [15]

‘We shouldn’t brush aside the legitimate concerns that many people – most people – have had about the way immigration has been managed, especially the anxieties of those on low pay or in low skilled jobs.’ – Conservative home secretary Sajid Javid, 2018 [16]

‘Without public consent, immigration is illegitimate. Dismissing as idiots or bigots those members of the public who express legitimate concerns, is not merely unfair, it is dangerous.’ – Conservative home secretary Suella Braverman, 2023 [17]

‘In the wake of the summer’s riots, Sir Keir [Starmer, Labour prime minister] said people with legitimate concerns about immigration were not responsible for the “violent thuggery” unleased on streets across the country.’ – 2024 [18]

‘The [Labour] defence secretary, Wes Streeting, said people with legitimate concerns around immigration should not be “conflated with the violent thugs we’ve seen on our streets”.’ – 2026 [19]

‘I am prepared always to listen to people, to work with people and to pick up legitimate concerns, and I will address those concerns. We understand people’s concerns and I will look into the issues raised by the good people of Piddington.’ – Andy Burnham, 2026 [20]