Leaving EU supporters have promised voters less migration and higher wages. Neither happened – and the British don’t seem to mind.
Anyone who followed the campaign for Great Britain’s exit from the EU in the run-up to the Brexit referendum in June 2016 knows that migration was a favorite topic of those opposed to Europe. The threat of a wave of immigration from Turkey was part of the standard repertoire of Brexit supporters. In return, they promised falling immigration numbers and higher wages for the local population in the event of the EU leaving.
A good two and a half years after the completion of Brexit, it is evident that both promises have not been kept – immigration is still taking place, while wages are not showing any general upward trend. But surprisingly, the Brits don’t seem to mind. In other words: leaving the EU initiated a massive exchange of the immigrant population. And this new composition, by and large, suits the British.