Live: Vance blames immigration for violence during protests in France
By Saghir Hussain ·
Vance’s finger‑pointing at immigration during France’s unrest is a reminder of a dangerous narrative that hits too close to home in Britain. The US Vice President’s outburst over a city hall burning, followed by his claim that “the real problem is immigration,” feels like a cheap political grab‑bag. It also rattles a chord in the UK, where the same kind of scapegoating is already creeping into our own debates about crime, housing, and jobs.
What Vance’s claim really means for us
When Vance blames immigration for the violence in France, he’s playing to the same fear‑mongering that British politicians have been using for years. Whether it’s the “take‑over of our streets” line from the Conservative front‑bench or the “culture clash” rhetoric of some Labour dissidents, the script is familiar: immigrants = trouble, immigrants = strain on services, immigrants = loss of identity. In the UK, those talking points have already shaped policy, from the points‑based immigration system to the tightened visa rules for low‑skill workers.
But the real impact is seen on the ground—small businesses in towns like Luton or Middlesbrough that struggle with rising wages (driven partly by labour shortages) while customers cut back on discretionary spending. Prices for rent, food, and energy are already squeezing household budgets; the added perception that “new arrivals” are to blame for higher rents only fuels resentment without addressing the root cause—housing supply, not immigration numbers.
Automation and the skills gap
My bigger concern is how this narrative distracts from a far more pressing issue: automation is reshaping work faster than our retraining programmes can keep up. In places like the Midlands, factories are moving to robot‑led lines, and the demand for low‑skill manual labour is falling. Yet the government’s “Skills for Jobs” fund is still playing catch‑up, offering courses that often don’t match the emerging tech roles.
Vance’s rhetoric about immigration is a classic diversion. It lets politicians avoid talking about the real threat to ordinary workers: machines that can replace them before we can upskill them. In the UK, the Office for National Statistics reports that over 2 million workers are in roles with a high risk of automation, but only a fraction are enrolled in reskilling schemes. The result? A growing underclass of workers who find themselves between a shrinking job market and an inadequate safety net.
Why UK voters should care
The French protests are a warning sign for Britain too. When societies feel economically insecure, they look for someone—or something—to blame. Immigration becomes a convenient scapegoat, while the structural issues—housing shortages, insufficient retraining, and the pace of technological change—are left untouched. In the UK, we see this already in the rise of “anti‑immigrant” flyers in local elections, even as the real pressure on public services comes from under‑funded schools, overstretched NHS waiting lists, and the cost‑of‑living crisis.
We need to stop letting sound‑bites about immigration dictate policy. Instead, we should be demanding real solutions: a massive expansion of vocational training, stricter regulations on algorithmic hiring that protect vulnerable workers, and a genuine house‑building programme that actually lowers rents for everyone.
The next time a politician points a finger at migrants, ask yourself: what’s being hidden behind that gesture? The answer could be the future of your local shop, the apprenticeship of your neighbour, or the price of your next utility bill.
Are we ready to call out the scapegoating before it becomes our own reality?