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An eye-opening account of how right-wing populists have captured the debate on asylum.
Since the 2019 general election, Britain’s relationship to asylum has shifted dramatically. As successive governments have struggled to retain support, the rise of unscrupulous political entrepreneurs and clickbait media has brought openly repressive policies crashing into the mainstream.
In Taking back control, Jonathan Darling tracks how this shift took place and exposes its devastating effects on British politics. Focusing on boats, hotels, barracks and removal flights, he shows how asylum seekers have been made a focal point for public resentment and how serious policy has been replaced with spectacles of performative cruelty.
From proposals to install wave machines in the English Channel to the costly fiasco of the Rwanda plan, the government has flaunted international law and wasted millions in taxpayers’ money on schemes with no prospect of success. Taking back control explains how we got here while offering pathways to a more welcoming future.
‘Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand how things got so bad – and what to do about it.’
Daniel Trilling, author of If We Tolerate This: How the British Establishment Made the Far Right Respectable
‘Compellingly written and meticulously researched, Taking back control is a vital resource for understanding how increasingly cruel and punitive asylum policies have been a central factor in making far-right politics mainstream in the UK. Politically astute as ever, Darling proposes both urgent practical steps to support the right to asylum and deeper investments in social solidarity to loosen the grip of a narrative of “control” on how mobility and migration are understood.’
Ben Rogaly, author of Stories from a Migrant City: Living and Working Together in the Shadow of Brexit
‘Taking back control is an outstanding contribution to the study of asylum politics. Combining historical depth with acute political analysis, Jonathan Darling reveals how populist narratives have transformed migration governance and normalised hostility towards people seeking refuge. An essential read for anyone seeking to understand contemporary Britain.’
Professor Nando Sigona, University of Birmingham
Introduction: from referendum to riot
1 Hostile environments
2 Boats
3 Hotels
4 Barracks and barges
5 Flights
Conclusion: futures beyond control
Index