DRAWBRIDGE BRITAIN: Love and Hostility in Immigration Policy from Windrush to the Present

By Russell Hargrave

Modern Britain is obsessed with immigration. Politicians make promises about it. Journalists write countless stories about it. We gossip about it on the bus and in the pub. Everyone has an opinion. Drawbridge Britain tells the story of that obsession, from panic in Whitehall when the Windrush docked in 1948 to a Brexit vote driven by fear and mistrust of newcomers. It is the story of how successive governments have made life difficult for immigrants, long before Theresa May unveiled her hostile environment policies, and how British residents and their newest neighbours have managed often against the odds to build their lives together. And Russell Hargrave asks: If Britain is going to secure a happier, liberal future in an age of immigration, what needs to happen next?

If you want to know what s going on in immigration policy, you read Russell Hargrave. - Ian Dunt

This timely book offers an something rare in the debate on immigration: an independent-minded account that puts facts first and sets partisan polemics aside. It provides a clear and colourful account of how British governments on both sides of the political spectrum have managed to make a mess of immigration policy in the last eighty years. - Nabeelah Jaffer

We badly need a liberal, smart conversation about immigration in this country. This book is a great place to start. - Tim Farron MP

About the Author

Dr Russell Hargrave is a freelance reporter and political consultant. His work has appeared in The Guardian, ITV News, Reuters and Public Finance, and he writes regularly on immigration and international development for politics.co.uk and devex.com. Russell is also a policy advisor to the Liberal Democrats on immigration and refugees.