Since rioting in the UK broke out podcasts, blogs and news media outlets have been bursting with hyperbole, contradictory commentary and inflammatory opinions on the disorder. I decided to gather some useful facts which can inform any discussion.

Firstly social unrest in the UK has bubbled into rioting for generations. On this occasion immigrants are the focus but policing methods, football matches and tax increases have all sparked violence in the past. Some left wing commentators say that the riots are mostly happening in areas of deprivation and that this rioting comes after years of Conservative Government cut backs to benefits and services. The solution they say? Reverse the cuts and increase the living standards of the poorest in society and the discontent will be eradicated.

Racism is the real reason behind the riots say some commentators. They point to the riots in Northern Ireland as a case in point. A whopping 97% of the Northern Ireland population classify themselves as ethnically white in the 2021 census yet rioters still felt justified in targeting minorities and causing havoc.

These riots happened during a great spell of warm weather which may seem strange to mention. However police in the UK have often remarked that long hot summer evenings are a godsend for rioters. Riots during wet blustery weather rarely get beyond the first night or two.

Immigration to the UK is running at historically high levels. Despite this unemployment is at just over 4% and there’s a huge skills shortage in the UK which immigrant workers are helping to address. Others argue that reducing the numbers of inactive working age adults (which includes those retired and on sick benefits) could also reduce the skills deficit. However even opponents of mass immigration are broadly agreed that selective immigration (with a view to satisfying the demands of the labour market) will be needed.

The UK population is certainly becoming more and more diverse with almost 15% in 2019 classifying themselves as something other than “ethnically white”. However immigrant numbers are not spread evenly throughout the UK. The 2021 Census shows that the most ethnically diverse region was London where 46.2% of residents identified with Asian, black, mixed or ‘other’ ethnic groups, and a further 17.0% with non British white ethnic minorities. For reference around 60% of the US population are white.

The religious faith of immigrants is a concern to many in the UK: around 20% of the UK population have negative views of Muslims – this is partly explained by the UK Governments view that 67% of the terror attacks since 2018 have come from Islamic groups and that they remain the greatest terror threat. It’s also claimed by right wing commentators that the police treat criminals from migrant communities leniently in comparison to the tough stance taken with white criminals. Police deny this but admit mistakes were made in the past.

Following this vein British voters feel that their concerns on immigration are being ignored. A recent IPSOS survey puts dissatisfaction on immigration at 69%, its highest level since 2015. However that in itself isn’t justification for rioting – political parties regularly procrastinate and obfuscate on a variety of issues and it rarely causes violence on the streets.

Advocates for stricter boarder controls complain that “multiculturalism and integration isn’t working.” Whether this claim is entirely true or false is difficult to say. However it’s certainly not ideal that 0.3% of the current population of England and Wales cannot speak English (or Welsh) at all. In addition 1.5% of the population (or 880,000 people) cannot speak English (or Welsh) well. In contrast approximately 8.3% of US residents speak English “less than well“.

Finally the OECD have a range of stats pointing to positive net outcomes of immigration which means on a balance it should be good for the economy. Others argue it’s possible to have a successful economy without uncontrolled immigration. There’s a high level of concern in the UK about the provision of public services such as housing, health and education. In this scenario there’s certainly a perception that high numbers of immigrants create additional demand for these same services which affects access for everyone.

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