The News Agents Has racism been normalised in the immigration debate?
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Feb 12, 2026 They unpack a billionaire’s use of “colonised” language about migrants and why that echoes far right tropes. They discuss imperial history, freedom of movement and the irony of blaming migration on former empires. The conversation looks at factual corrections to migration claims and how elite rhetoric normalises racialised immigration language. They also explore civil service tensions around a high-profile Cabinet Secretary candidate.
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Colonisation Language Normalised
- Jim Ratcliffe described the UK as being "colonised" by immigrants, a phrase the hosts flag as racially loaded and alarming.
- Emily Maitlis and Lewis Goodall note this language used casually by elites signals normalisation of far-right tropes.
Empire History Undermines 'Colonised' Claim
- Emily stresses the irony that Britain exported colonialism, then complains about people returning from those places.
- She and Lewis argue historical empire explains much modern migration and undermines 'colonised' rhetoric.
Colonisation Trope Mirrors Powell's Warning
- Lewis links 'colonisation' rhetoric to Enoch Powell's Rivers of Blood and far-right tropes about invasion and replacement.
- He warns this language removes agency and frames immigration as a hostile takeover.
