Multiculturalism in Great Britain: Consensus or Conflict?

Multiculturalism in Great Britain: Consensus or Conflict?[pic 1]

In the words of current UK prime minister Rishi Sunak; “our country is a fantastic multi-ethnic democracy”. This celebration of diversity brings to light a relatively new demographic dynamic: multiculturalism. However, Sunak’s views on the subject are not shared by all inhabitants and citizens of Great Britain. In order to understand why multiculturalism generates political and legal challenges in the UK, it is important to start by defining it, as well as analyzing its historical upcoming.

Multiculturalism refers to the coexistence of people with many cultural identities in a common state, society or community. This phenomenon can be traced through two distinct waves of immigration: the former being after the Second World War, and the latter starting in the 1990s, carrying on today.

After the second world war, Great Britain encouraged mass immigration from the Commonwealth countries via the 1948 British Nationality Act, which created the status of “Citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies”, giving equal rights to all British subjects, regardless of their place of birth. Britain’s decision to introduce this legislation was motivated by the labor shortages post World War II and allowed residents of Commonwealth countries to migrate freely to the UK (notably citizens of Pakistan, Jamaica, and the Caribbean islands).

Subsequently, what we now evaluate as the current migration wave started in the 1990s, with the agreement of the notion of free movement throughout the European Union in 1992. Between 2013 and 2016 there were more European immigrants than non-Europeans entering the UK. The Brexit vote, however, led to an exodus of European workers. Today, non-European migrants represent the majority of immigrants entering the UK, with a net migration of 925,000 non-EU nationals in 2022 (compared to 327,000 in 2018, pre-pandemic).

Consequently, these UK immigration waves bring upon us the question of multiculturalism. Now that a plethora of cultures and ethnicities live in the same country, queries such as assimilation, nationalism, equality and discrimination are raised. Embodied by both consensus and conflict amongst the British citizens.

A legal consensus was reached through the passing of the Equality Act in 2010. Aiming to protect individuals from discrimination and promote equality, the Act pinpoints nine “protected characteristics” that are legally safeguarded from discrimination (including disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sexe, and sexual orientation). The Equality Act is regarded as a primary piece of legislation in the UK, as it is an Act of Parliament, therefore the highest form of law. This Act represents a symbolic step forward in the acceptance of a multicultural society, as it sets out the legal framework for combatting discrimination and promoting equality in various societal areas (notably in education and employment)

A less obvious form of consensus relating to the celebration of multiculturalism

would be the Multicultural London English (also known as MLE), which is the accent of London’s multi-ethnic young residents. MLE is a mix of Cockney, which is the traditional white working-class accent of London, mixed with Caribbean, West African and South Asian influences. Transcending ethnicities, this emerging accent is a perfect reflection of a multicultural Great Britain, and how this new generation of British youngsters, from immigrated backgrounds, shape London into becoming a more diverse city.

From a political standpoint, however, multiculturalism in the UK is a conflict-raising topic.

Two main viewpoints oppose one another on this subject: those who believe Britain has successfully managed to incorporate diversity and maintain the country’s values and tradition- therefore, painting multiculturalism as a success, and those who defend the idea that multiculturalism has been a failure, encouraging cultures to live apart rather than as one body, therefore weakening the collective identity.

Representing the former, we have none other than the current UK prime minster, Rishi Sunak. In his own words: “We have done an incredible job of integrating people into society and one of the lovely things about getting the job I have, as the first person from my background to hold this job, that’s a wonderful thing, but it’s also not a big deal in our country.” Sunak praises the benefits of legal immigration, and its economic benefits for the country: “We’re all living proof of the fact that immigrants can come here, do well and that’s something I think we do better that any country in the world.”. Indeed, according to the HMRC’s data for the most recently available year (2018-19), the net contribution to the economy from overseas citizens working in the UK is of £42.4 billion.

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