Immigration was a key issue during Britain’s EU referendum. The success of the Leave campaign owed much to the belief that the UK has lost control over its borders. Many British citizens are resentful that their communities have undergone dramatic changes as a result of immigration policies about which they were not consulted. At the same time, there are humane, economic and political arguments for welcoming migrants. So why do we have borders at all? If the EU can manage with porous internal borders, why can’t the whole world? Do open borders really threaten the integrity of a democratic nation state?
NICK CATER executive director, Menzies Research Centre, Australia; columnist, The Australian
JON HOLBROOK barrister; writer on legal issues; regular contributor to spiked
KENAN MALIK writer and broadcaster; author, The Quest for a Moral Compass: a global history of ethics and From Fatwa to Jihad
CHAIR: CLAIRE FOX director, Institute of Ideas; panellist, BBC Radio 4’s Moral Maze; author, I Find That Offensive
#BattleFest2016: Immigration - what is the future of free movement?