The public believes immigration has not been treated this badly since Brexit.

An RNLI lifeboat heads to migrants crossing the English Channel heading to Dover. Photo: BEN STANSALL/AFP

The public is even more unhappy More than two-thirds of respondents said they were unhappy, while just 9 percent said they were happy with the decision, the survey found. crisis.

The figures come from a survey of 3,000 adults by Ipsos and think tank British Future and represent the worst negative rating since it was first carried out in 2015, a year before the Brexit vote .

Just 16 per cent of current Tory supporters — and just eight per cent of those who voted Conservative in 2019 — are satisfied with the situation on immigration.

More than half (55 per cent) of current Tories and more than two thirds (71 per cent) 2019 Conservative voters are unhappy. About 10 per cent of Labor Party supporters said they were satisfied, while 72 per cent said they were dissatisfied.

The main reason for their dissatisfaction is the failure to stop small boats crossing the English Channel, cited by 54 per cent of those who were dissatisfied with the government's overall approach to the situation. This was followed by concerns that overall immigration levels are too high, cited by 51 percent.

Immigration is rated as more important in deciding whether to vote Conservative than Labour, with 53 per cent of the potential Tory electorate saying it is important. This made it the third most important issue, behind the National Health Service (57 percent) and the cost of living (55 percent). Among Labor voters he came in 12th, with 27 per cent naming him.

There has also been an increase in the proportion of voters who want to reduce migration, to 52 per cent, up from 48 per cent in 2023. This follows net migration reaching a record high of 745,000 in 2022, almost tripling pre-Brexit levels.

Seven in 10 current Conservative backbenchers (72 per cent) want immigration reduced (17 per cent want it to stay the same and nine per cent want it to increase).

But most Labor supporters preferred the number of immigrants either remain the same (32 per cent) or increase (20 per cent), although 40 per cent wanted a reduction.

Only 32 percent of the population believed Rwanda's scheme. would likely reduce the number of people attempting to enter the UK without permission to seek asylum, while 56 per cent thought this was unlikely. However, some 47 per cent supported the scheme, compared with 29 per cent who opposed it.

Sunder Katwala, director of British Future, said: “There is widespread public dissatisfaction with the government's handling of immigration, but for different reasons. causes. Many Conservatives want tougher action to match tough words, while Labor supporters want more compassion along with control.

“There is a gulf in how important immigration is to the way people will vote in the upcoming elections. For the Conservatives, this is issue number three after the NHS and the cost of living; for Labor Party supporters he is not in the top ten. This results in very different pressures on the two party leaders in the upcoming campaign.»