English Identity, Migration and Social Cohesion

Executive summary

England faces a problem of confidence as much as a problem of migration. The country has accepted rapid demographic change while becoming increasingly hesitant to define the culture into which newcomers are expected to integrate. Public debate then moves between two unsatisfactory positions: one treats any concern about identity or cohesion as prejudice; the other treats visible difference as evidence that a person cannot belong. Neither position provides a workable national settlement.