Public approval with the government’s handling of immigration hits a new low at just 9%, poll reveals

Public dissatisfaction with the Government’s handling of immigration has plumbed new depths, a poll reveals today.

Just 9 per cent of Britons are happy with how ministers are dealing with our borders, while 69 per cent say they are unhappy.

It is the most damning verdict since the Immigration Attitudes Tracker was launched in 2015.

According to the survey of 3,000 voters, carried out by pollsters Ipsos and the think-tank British Future, 54 per cent of those who said they were unhappy cited ‘not doing enough to stop Channel crossings’ while 51 per cent said ‘immigration numbers are too high’.

More than half of all respondents now support reducing migration, up from 48 per cent in 2023.

A breakdown by political party support makes bleak reading for the Conservatives just months before the election is expected, with the flagship policy to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda on hold and support for Reform UK rising. 

Only 16 per cent of Tory supporters and 8 per cent of those who backed Boris Johnson in 2019 are happy with the current handling of immigration.

And 53 per cent said the issue would be important in deciding how they will vote, behind only the NHS and cost of living. Perhaps less surprisingly, just 10 per cent of Labour supporters have a positive view of the Government’s performance, with 72 per cent saying the opposite.

Among Labour voters who are dissatisfied, 42 per cent said the main reason was ‘creating a negative or fearful environment for migrants’ while 41 per cent complained about the failure to stop small boat arrivals.

Sunder Katwala, director of British Future, said: ‘There is widespread dissatisfaction with the Government’s handling of immigration, but for different reasons. Many Conservatives want tougher action to match tough words, while Labour supporters want more compassion alongside control.’

In a new attempt to deter migrants from trying to reach Britain, the Home Office today launches an advert campaign in Vietnam, from where an increasing proportion of small boat arrivals are travelling.

The Home Office is launching a campaign in Vietnam today in an attempt to deter migrants

The video shared on social media features testimony of people who regret making the journey as well as setting out the risks of being exploited by smuggling gangs and having no access to public services in the UK. 

Home Secretary James Cleverly said: ‘This is a powerful campaign which demonstrates first-hand that life for people arriving here illegally is a far cry from the lies they have been sold by the gangs on the other side of the Channel.’

Yesterday Chancellor Jeremy Hunt was confronted by figures showing that the number of people arriving illegally in dinghies is higher than at the same time last year, with the latest figure put at 4,306.

He told Sky News: ‘When we get flights off to Rwanda, that will send a very strong signal to smugglers and the people that if you come to the UK illegally then there is a very good chance you will be sent straight back abroad.’

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Public approval with the government’s handling of immigration hits a new low at just 9%, poll reveals