M.E.N. reporters spoke to 64 voters across the region, now hundreds have told us their thoughts about the issue defining the national debate this summer
18:51, 28 Aug 2025Updated 18:51, 28 Aug 2025
Today, the Manchester Evening News published its report after speaking to 64 voters across Greater Manchester on what they made of the debate that has dominated this summer in British politics.
Immigration.
It’s now the most-important issue facing the UK, according to YouGov polls.
New figures from the Home Office last week revealed that the number of asylum seekers being housed in hotels has risen by eight per cent under Labour, taking the total to 32,059 by the end of June – a 57 per cent reduction since its peak under the Tories in September 2023.
Nine asylum hotels remain in Greater Manchester following closures in Manchester, Rochdale and Wigan.
And politicians are being challenged to offer their plans on bringing net migration down.
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On Tuesday morning (August 26), Nigel Farage’s Reform UK put his plan forward. He announced a scheme to deport up to 600,000 migrants over five years if it won the next election, costing £10 billion.
That announcement pushed Reform into an eight-point polling lead on Wednesday.
We sent our local democracy reporters out into the region to gain a window into the thoughts of the voting public – and it was clear not everyone is convinced.
Reform’s ‘operation restoring justice’ will require the UK to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR); alter the UK Human Rights Act; strike deals with the countries where most migrants currently originate, such as Afghanistan; and open ‘removal centres’ in remote parts of Britain so five deportation flights can fly per day. It would cost £10bn to achieve.
There’s some major hurdles there – including Reform winning the next general election, and Nigel Farage becoming Prime Minister.
Already, today, Reform UK appears to have rowed back from the idea it could remove children from the country under the mass deportation policy.
All of those variables have led to hundreds of readers chiming in with their thoughts, leaving more than 200 responses on the piece. Here is what our readers had to say…
Greater Manchester has seen protests and misinformation about immigration this summer(Image: Jake Lindley / Manchester Evening News)‘I like that Farage is making big news – but think about what we would lose’
Tt84 said: “Immigration is a problem. And I like that Farage is making this big news.
“It worries me that Labour think they have found a solution – one in, one out – because being completely honest, that does not even scratch the surface.
“However, by voting for Farage you have to consider everything as a whole – [he] stops immigration (he has already backtracked on his 600,000 figure from yesterday – so that tells you something) but at what cost?
“The NHS goes. Your right to free speech, join a union, a fair trial – all of those would potentially go if we withdraw from the ECHR.
“Labour has three years to fix immigration and they are not going to do it. But I really do hope immigration becomes a more pressing issue and the other parties step up.
“Because as much as I agree that we need to stop immigration, it can’t be left to Reform/Farage because the cost of doing that would be too great.”
‘Nigel will deliver’
Notonyournelly11 shared: “Immigration is not what people’s issues are, it’s illegal immigration. There is a massive difference.
“Undocumented males roaming the streets. Everything for free whilst the rest of us pay. It’s wrong on every level.
“Nigel will deliver, out of the people who think differently, maybe open up your home?
“Britain is an island is broken and the people are fed up.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage(Image: PA Wire/PA Images)‘Immigrants aren’t the root cause of this country’s problems’
JPC-W took aim at protesters clashing over the building’s use to house asylum seekers, calling them ‘not in my backyard’ protesters. The acronym NIMBY refers to residents who oppose policies, even if they don’t oppose them elsewhere.
“I’ve no problem whatsoever with any of the immigrants that I’ve met and there are several that I’m aware of living in our area, they all seem like decent hard working people once they find their feet,” said the commenter.
“They’re certainly not a root cause of any of this country’s current difficulties which are mostly due to our politicians.
“Looking closely at the film that I’ve watched of these ‘protests’, they look like a bunch of flag waving NIMBYs supplemented by the usual rent-a-crowd and even then they really aren’t very large or very impressive.
“Personally I couldn’t care less about this stuff, I’m far more sickened and alarmed about what is happening to women and children in Gaza.
“As for that nincompoop Farage, (not the first word I’d have chosen to describe him but I’m being polite), I have huge difficulty understanding how anyone can take him remotely seriously?”
‘An island can only take so much’, while Nigel is ‘hypocritical’
Whentheseagulls said: “ALL MIGRATION needs looking at not just illegal, it isn’t sustainable financially in any way shape or form so your feelings can take a back seat.
“It’s quite simple really, an island can only take so much.”
BondsBowTie responded: “Why doesn’t Nigel address the fact that boat crossings exploded immediately after Brexit.
“It seems a bit hypocritical of him that he stood on a policy that created a situation that he is now standing on a different policy to reverse. Or is it a measure of what a person he really is?”
The latest Home Office statistics show that, as of 20 August, 27,997 migrants had crossed the Channel in small boats in 2025, up from 18,342 for the same period in 2024.
In 2024 as a whole, nearly 37,000 people were detected making the crossing – 25 per cent more than in 2023.
The highest yearly total was recorded in 2022, when 45,755 people arrived. More than 170,000 people have arrived in small boats since figures were first recorded in 2018.
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Britain’s Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer ‘Here to stay’
Misterlessismore said: “No matter what you think about Reform they are here to stay.
“Like it or not are voicing peoples concerns over immigration whereas Labour are trying to dodge it at every occasion.”
‘Concern differs wildly’
As Local democracy reporter (LDR) Ethan Davies said in the M.E.N.’s daily Mancunian Way newsletter, worries about immigration might not result in the votes Nigel Farage wishes to gain.
After the LDRs spoke to 64 members of the public, Ethan said: “It’s clear there is concern about the immigration process currently in place but the substance of that concern differs wildly – from concerns about the amount of time asylum seekers are spending in the system, to the many people coming over the Channel in small boats.
“But that doesn’t always translate to support for Nigel Farage.
“A lot of people said they wanted any government to take action from deterring people from coming to the country but a good majority said they wouldn’t trust a Reform government to do that.”