Britain is the best place in Europe to be an immigrant
What other countries can learn from its example
![The Statue of Liberty on the White Cliffs of Dover](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240323_LDD001_FH.jpg)
The idea of Britain as a nation of immigration might seem counterintuitive. Its citizens voted to leave the European Union in 2016 after they were promised a tighter chokehold on inflows of people from Europe. This week politicians in Parliament tussled over a bill that will make it easier to ship asylum-seekers to Rwanda without hearing their pleas—the latest in a string of illiberal laws designed to “stop the boats”.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Britain’s superpower”
Leaders March 23rd 2024
More from Leaders
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/media-assets/image/20240831_LDD002.jpg)
Digital twins are fast becoming part of everyday life
Welcome to the mirror world
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/media-assets/image/20240831_LDP001.jpg)
Donald Trump’s promise of “mass deportation” is unworkable
Yet he could cause serious harm by trying
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/media-assets/image/20240831_LDP501.jpg)
People should be paid for blood plasma
Shortages are hampering the production of essential medicines
Why Sudan’s catastrophic war is the world’s problem
It could kill millions—and spread chaos across Africa and the Middle East
Why inflation fell without a recession
High interest rates, not the passage of time, have restored price stability
Countries should act faster to curb the spread of mpox
The slower the response, the more people will die