Book launch: What is immigration policy for?
From Institute for Government by Institute for Government
April 29, 2026 · 56 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the challenges and expectations surrounding UK immigration policy, featuring insights from experts including Madeleine Sumption.
Successive UK governments have made immigration policy a high political priority, but no recent government has seemed to meet public expectations in the pursuit of those policies. So, what have recent immigration policies been trying to achieve, and why have so many people ended up unhappy with the outcome? A new book by Madeleine Sumption explores these questions. Drawing on decades of research, she explores the unavoidable trade-offs governments face, and the impacts of their choices on people and communities. To answer these questions and more, this IfG event brought together an expert panel, including: Rt Hon Amber Rudd, former Home Secretary (2016–18) and former Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2018–19) Madeleine Sumption, Director of the Migration Observatory at Oxford University and a member of the UK Government’s Migration Advisory Committee This event was chaired by Alex Thomas, Executive Director for Impact and Influence at the Institute for Government.
People in this episode
Host: Alex Thomas
Guests: Rt Hon Amber Rudd, Madeleine Sumption
Topics covered
- immigration policy
- public expectations
- government trade-offs
- community impact
- expert panel discussion
Keywords
- immigration
- policy
- UK government
- public opinion
- trade-offs
- community impact
- expert panel
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Institute for Government, Migration Observatory, UK Government
Books & works: What is immigration policy for?
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