Island of Strangers: The dangers of scapegoat politics

When Keir Starmer warned that Britain risks becoming an “island of strangers”, his solution was to cut legal migration. He spoke of “fair rules” and suggested that our national values were under threat without tighter controls. But for those of us at Big Issue North, who work every day with people pushed to the edges of society, this position isn’t just flawed. It’s dangerously misdirected.

It shifts the blame for widespread social disconnection onto those who are often the most vulnerable and misunderstood. It’s scapegoating, plain and simple. And it won’t fix the real issues pulling at the fabric of life in Britain. 

The truth is that, for many, modern Britain does feel like an island of strangers. Recent research from More in Common found that half of Britons feel disconnected from the society around them. But this disconnection hasn’t been caused by immigration. It’s the result of austerity, poverty, growing inequality, and instability. For nearly two decades, we’ve seen funding cuts, shrinking services, the erosion of shared public spaces, and major shifts in how we live and work. 

Starmer’s speech nodded nostalgically to a past sense of togetherness and community, but the world has changed. Britain has changed. “We are a much more transient population now,” says Charlie Bethel, CEO of the UK Men’s Sheds Association. “People today are rarely born and educated in the same town where they work, marry and die.” 

It’s a bitter irony: in a society where many of us move for jobs, housing, or opportunity, it’s migrants who are singled out as the cause of social breakdown. But the government ignores the real picture; our social bonds have weakened. Fewer people are part of community groups, faith groups, or social clubs. More people live alone. People are starting families later. And while technology connects us in theory, in practice, many feel more isolated than ever. 

In a society where many of us move for jobs, housing, or opportunity, it’s migrants who are singled out as the cause of social breakdown.

If we’re serious about tackling disconnection, we have to ask what’s gone missing from our shared lives. Between 2010 and 2020, local government funding dropped by around 50%, according to the Institute for Government. In that time, hundreds of libraries closed. Two-thirds of youth centres disappeared. Community halls, lunch clubs, and social projects have gone. 

We now live in a country with fewer and fewer places to just be with other people. To chat, learn something new, or simply enjoy some human company. The loss of these spaces makes loneliness more likely. Loneliness, as we now know, carries serious consequences. According to the Campaign to End Loneliness, poor social relationships are as damaging to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Loneliness is linked to depression, cognitive decline, and sleep problems. It doesn’t discriminate, and anyone can be affected. 

But while the causes for loneliness are many and complex, Starmer’s speech reduced it all to one thing: immigration. In doing so, it fed a harmful idea that the presence of people who weren’t born here is somehow to blame for our sense of disconnection. 

We work with anyone who needs our support. At Big Issue North, 66% of our current vendors are Romanian, and a further 6% are from countries like Poland, Slovakia, Latvia, and Italy. Many identify as Roma, a community that has faced centuries of discrimination across Europe. For many Roma people, the UK once offered safety, dignity and opportunity that their home countries didn’t. 

And yet, our vendors can be met with hostility. Some people question their right to sell the magazine, purely based on their ethnicity or their accent. The assumption that people who weren’t born here are “scroungers” or criminals is all too common. 

But that’s not who our vendors are. They’re here to thrive and to contribute. They buy every magazine they sell. That money goes straight back into the support services we offer – from housing advice to financial support to legal help – so that we can help more people who need it. We welcome anyone who wants to earn, British or not. 

What’s more, along with the chance to earn an income, selling The Big Issue gives our vendors a vital connection to their community and other people. “I’m always happiest when selling the magazine,” says Joe, a vendor in Prestwich, “Talking to my customers makes me happy. Even when it’s raining and business is slow, just getting out and seeing people really cheers me up.” 

The politics of scarcity will always find someone to blame. But history has shown us the damage that this can do. It’s easier for the government to shift responsibility than to confront the policy failures that have hollowed out communities and left people feeling alone. 

It’s easier for the government to shift responsibility than to confront the policy failures that have hollowed out communities and left people feeling alone. 

If we want to build something better, we need to protect and invest in the places that help people come together, and we need to remember the value of everyday human connection. 

Buying the magazine helps. But so does stopping for a chat, offering a smile, or simply saying hello. You can also sign our pledge showing your support that everyone, no matter where they are from, has the right to the opportunity to earn an income. Those small acts remind us of something easy to forget in these divided times: we’re not strangers.