Popova, G. and Shaw, S. 2026. Added Value or Too Expensive and Unfair: UK Parliamentary Debates of European migration. in: Guardamagna, C., Hampton, J., Roccia, M. and Sredanovic, D. (ed.) European Migrants in the UK in the Brexit Era London Routledge.
| Chapter title | Added Value or Too Expensive and Unfair: UK Parliamentary Debates of European migration |
|---|---|
| Authors | Popova, G. and Shaw, S. |
| Editors | Guardamagna, C., Hampton, J., Roccia, M. and Sredanovic, D. |
| Abstract | In this chapter we present initial findings from a linguistic analysis of UK parliamentary debates on EU migrants in the period stretching from the accession of 8 new members in 2004 to the Brexit referendum in June 2016. We draw on a rich theoretical and analytical history of linguistic work on immigration debates, mainly within Critical Discourse Analysis (van Dijk 2000; Reisigl & Wodak 2000; Wodak 2015), assisted by investigations using readily available corpora based on the Hansard Report. We focus on the notion of ‘deservingness’ to show how EU migration is endorsed or resisted during this period of time. We identify a number of ways in which the EU migration is seen as economic contribution by skilled workers, as unfair competition for unskilled jobs that should be done by indigenous workers, or draining the country’s public resources. Ultimately, however, the rhetorical emphasis is on the sheer scale of migration that cannot be controlled. The fact that this scale was misjudged by the Labour government of 2004 becomes a powerful rhetorical tool in an oppositional parliamentary system. |
| Keywords | UK Parliamentary debates; Critical Discourse Analysis; EU Migration |
| Book title | European Migrants in the UK in the Brexit Era |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publisher | Routledge |
| Place of publication | London |