British Future (360G-CR-4927720)

Funding via This Day Foundation's donation to the Winter Campaign. Our project is aimed at influencing the direction and content of policy and political debate in the new government in ways that achieve progressive policies and approaches to immigration and integration: these should be workable, fair and have broad public consent. To achieve this we need to be able to frame the debate, develop a political coalition to advocate for constructive policy change and support this with strategic and effective communications, advocacy, influencing and policy expertise. We will recruit a new political and parliamentary relationships manager to build parliamentary relationships; support political engagement strategies and activities among allies and networks; and to strengthen the Social Integration APPG as a forum for parliamentary engagement. We will also expand our communications team with a new communications officer providing the capacity to undertake both reactive and strategic work on migration and politics. They will work with allies and new backbenchers to influence policy and develop longer-term opportunities, such as making the 75th anniversary of the refugee convention in 2026 a major moment to communicate a positive message about the value of refugee protection. We will conduct new and expanded public attitudes and message development work. This will include ongoing quantitative attitudes research with complementary qualitative groups to explain findings and to enable more targeted messaging and policy recommendations. We will use research findings to influence elite-level thinking and debate. Through regular rapid reaction polling we will convey an accurate account of attitudes, and how they are changing, through mainstream and social media. In particular we will contest analyses which purposefully present public attitudes as hostile and negative. Our work will also assist message development of other key organisations working for positive messaging and change. This will include key moments, as described above. We are aiming to bring about a more positive and informed policy agenda and debate on immigration, which takes account of public preferences and migrants’ interests. This includes helping to ensure that parliamentarians and policy makers are better informed to develop and support workable policies for immigration and integration. We also aim to improve networks of partner organisations also aiming to improve policy and debate on immigration and integration. We will improve intelligence sharing and mapping of opportunities and challenges for immigration and integration approaches. This will improve the quality of strategic dialogue and strengthen the effectiveness of the organisations and coalitions. As well as regular articles and other written outputs, we will hold workshops, seminars and events on the direction and content of immigration and integration policies. We would like to see stronger relationships with parliamentarians and the immigration/integration sector through specific forums including those which are Westminster-based. On immigration and asylum these include RAMP, the Refugee Council and Together With Refugees. On integration an on integration and citizenship they include the networks of Belong and the Together Coalition. We expect to strengthen the effectiveness and impact of networks we have set up: we will revitalise the Social Integration APPG to achieve greater impact under the new government. On race equity issues, we will continue to increase the profile of the Windrush 100 Network, which we also host. In both cases we will have a regular programme of activities and outputs. We also aim to ensure that developments on the right of British politics do not negatively impact on progress in the immigration and integration spheres. To do this we will engage with parliamentarians in opposition parties and with partners and allies such as Bright Blue, More in Common, Conservatives against Racism and for Equality and Policy Exchange.