Britain’s establishment is pretending for the umpteenth time to do something about the nation’s open borders. This is good in that it demonstrates the government—now run by Labour, though much the sasme when ‘managed’ by the Conservatives—knows just how angry the public is about mass uncontrolled immigration. But it is almost certain not to result in any actual change. Indeed, it would not be surprising if the plans didn’t go forward at all, given the scale of backlash from Labour’s own back benches, even before Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced the details of the measures on Monday afternoon. “It doesn’t have to be like this,” said one MP. Another described the plans as “performative cruelty,” the first half of which is true.
