12/06/2025
Immigration and Wales: A Reality Check – by Stephen Morris, Policy Director GWLAD
Immigration has been a background issue in British politics for decades, but in recent months it’s shot to the top of the agenda. In Wales, however, much of the political establishment – including both Labour and Plaid Cymru – remains committed to increasing immigration, under the banner of becoming a “Nation of Sanctuary.”
My own party – Gwlad – has by contrast focused more on economic policy than on culture-war issues. But the scale and nature of immigration now demands serious attention – not least because Wales faces a very different situation from England.
Wales is not England
Much of the unease around immigration is driven by English media, responding to English realities. It’s not surprising that Welsh voters who consume English news channels become concerned about these issues as well. In turn they are attracted to England-centred parties like Reform UK, which offer what seem like decisive answers to England’s problems.
But Wales faces very different pressures. In England, the challenge is mass immigration; in Wales, it’s mass emigration – especially of young people, particularly from rural and Welsh-speaking areas. Even from urban areas, many talented young people leave for better job or study opportunities, and few return. This “brain drain”, combined with a weak private-sector middle class, leaves entire areas hollowed out – economically and culturally.
At the same time, Wales experiences far lower levels of immigration from outside the UK than England does. Places like Slough, Leicester, and Birmingham are now majority non-white. In contrast, Cardiff remains around 85% white, Newport about the same, and most of the Valleys well over 95%. This matters: Wales is simply not undergoing the same demographic transformation that parts of England are.
Different Types of Immigration
That said, Wales is not unaffected. What we’re seeing is not so much mass immigration from abroad, but a different kind of immigration: “white flight” from England. As parts of England change beyond recognition, some English people are relocating to places that feel more familiar – and Wales, with its lower housing costs and overwhelmingly white population, fits the bill.
So while Wales is less affected by non-white immigration, it is still affected by immigration – just in a different form.
We can distinguish three main types of immigration into Wales, each with distinct effects:
Legal immigration from outside the UK
Wales depends on this to some extent, particularly in sectors like healthcare. We don’t train nearly enough doctors, dentists, or pharmacists to meet demand, and our ongoing economic weakness means we can’t retain those we do train. Until that’s fixed, immigration of skilled people seems like the only viable solution.
Illegal immigration from outside the UK
Though Wales is not a destination for ‘small boats’ – no-one ever heard of one of them turning up on the beach at Porthcawl - asylum-seekers are often relocated here by contractors acting on behalf of the Westminster government. This has led to high-profile cases like the Stradey Park Hotel in Llanelli. In 2023 it was announced that the hotel would close, with the loss of 95 jobs, so that it could accommodate 300 asylum-seekers in the middle of a densely populated area. The scheme was abandoned after furious protests by local people. But this situation is imposed on Wales from outside, against the will of both local residents and often the migrants themselves.
Internal immigration from England
This is the least discussed but perhaps the most impactful form of immigration Wales faces. The Welsh Government has no power to control it – unlike the Channel Islands, for example, where many properties may be occupied only by long-term residents or approved high-net-worth incomers. Until similar powers are devolved, the best defence Wales has is to fix its economy, and promote Welsh-medium education - especially in high-Welsh-speaking areas - to preserve long-term cultural cohesion.
Identity, Belonging, and the Future
But these aren’t just economic or technical issues. They are fundamental to what a nation really is. Songs that many liberal, impeccably anti-racist Welsh people sing with pride – like “Yma o Hyd” or the national anthem – carry implicit assumptions about ancestry, continuity, and connection to the land.
Nations need many kinds of ties: shared values, yes, but also a stable population which can draw on family ties and connections to the land going back generations. Without these, Wales risks losing the very distinctiveness that makes it worth defending.
That doesn’t mean that we should turn our backs on all newcomers. Where it’s appropriate, and on our own terms, we can and should welcome people in: but there still has to be a ‘we’ that they can be welcomed into.
