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Since the European Union (EU) East enlargement in 2004, various British political actors have framed an anti-immigrant discourse promoting restrictive policies regarding intra-EU citizens’ access to social rights on British territory. This trend has continued, notably since 2010, when the Conservatives came to power and reached its height in the 2016 Brexit referendum debate. The slogan “Take back control of our borders”, mobilised by the Leavers, illustrates this ideological position. Therefore, this research analyses the dominant political discourse on EU immigration during this period. The aim is first to show the ideological convergence in the discourse of several British political parties’ members, from the populist radical right party the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) to the Conservative and Labour parties, on the access to the social rights of mobile European citizens. The main objectives of the stakeholders were to control European immigration and question the EU’s fundamental principle of free movement of people. This research also aims to show how the mainstream political discourse has promoted a re-bordering process of the ideological boundaries of the British welfare state, using nationalist arguments such as ‘benefit tourism’ to frame mobile European citizens as undeserving.

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The Question of Intra-EU Migration in the British Mainstream Political Discourse: A Renewal of the Definition of the Boundaries of the Welfare State

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年

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  • Hélène Grinan-Moutinho

摘要

Since the European Union (EU) East enlargement in 2004, various British political actors have framed an anti-immigrant discourse promoting restrictive policies regarding intra-EU citizens’ access to social rights on British territory. This trend has continued, notably since 2010, when the Conservatives came to power and reached its height in the 2016 Brexit referendum debate. The slogan “Take back control of our borders”, mobilised by the Leavers, illustrates this ideological position. Therefore, this research analyses the dominant political discourse on EU immigration during this period. The aim is first to show the ideological convergence in the discourse of several British political parties’ members, from the populist radical right party the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) to the Conservative and Labour parties, on the access to the social rights of mobile European citizens. The main objectives of the stakeholders were to control European immigration and question the EU’s fundamental principle of free movement of people. This research also aims to show how the mainstream political discourse has promoted a re-bordering process of the ideological boundaries of the British welfare state, using nationalist arguments such as ‘benefit tourism’ to frame mobile European citizens as undeserving.