Voters rank the four issues destroying Britain

Illegal immigration

The vast majority of respondents (80 percent) blame Britain’s current problems on illegal immigration, a problem that successive governments have failed to tackle.

The figures speak for themselves. Almost 5,000 small boat migrants have crossed the English Channel since Sir Keir was given the keys to Downing Street, GB News can exclusively reveal.

The Tories had not fared much better. Despite pledging to crack down on illegal crossings for more than a decade, more boats arrived this year than in the same period in the previous four years.

The Conservatives’ recently scrapped Rwanda plan further angered voters, costing £270 million without a single migrant boarding.

The long-simmering discontent recently reached a fever pitch after misinformation circulated on social media about the identity of the stabbing victim in Southport.

The deliberate destruction of property and threats to public safety have been rightly condemned, but many commentators are also calling for an honest conversation about the causes of the riots.

One of them is trade unionist Paul Embery, who tells GB News that anger over illegal immigration depends on class and geography.

The “liberal Hampstead brigade”, as Paul calls the cosmopolitan elite, have nothing to do with the working class. Many of them live in areas facing the dual threat of deindustrialisation and rapid demographic change.

The anger we see in our cities has been developing for decades, Paul explains, and former Prime Minister Tony Blair has “put the brakes on it”.

It’s a widespread sentiment beyond the M25. Dave, 60, grew up in Basildon, Essex, and lived for many years in nearby Southend.

He now sees both as “no-go areas” because of rising crime fueled by mass immigration. Multiculturalism “just doesn’t work,” he tells GB News.

It is important to emphasise the distinction between legal and illegal migration. However, one respondent to our poll claims: “You can’t separate the two,” adding: “Once immigration stops, all the other problems are solved. NHS waiting lists, school places, doctors’ appointments, housing shortages, the economy, social cohesion all gradually return to normal levels.”

Not everyone agrees. Gez from Peterborough tells GB News that Britain is in desperate need of skilled migration.

According to the hotel owner, many local businesses are struggling to find staff, and the paperwork that has been coming in since Brexit means it costs thousands of dollars to bring in two or three employees from the mainland.

The 57-year-old is convinced that improving skilled immigration procedures would reduce illegal immigration and reduce anti-immigration sentiment in communities as locals would see tangible benefits to the economy.

Royal welfare state

More than 10 percent of respondents said Britain’s generous welfare state was to blame for its problems.

The country’s social safety net has long been divided along party lines, with the left viewing its creation as a vital tool for eradicating poverty and deprivation, while the right argues that it has created a culture of dependency.

The truth lies somewhere in between. What everyone can agree on is that the system is in dire need of reform, given the ageing and rapidly growing population.

It is also a drain on the Treasury: the UK is expected to spend £315.8 billion on social security alone this year.

Unlike many European countries, the UK does not have means-tested unemployment benefits, making the system less favourable for workers at risk of losing their jobs.

However, the UK is relatively more generous when it comes to housing and family benefits.

These and other characteristics make it extremely difficult to distinguish between people who are truly disadvantaged and those who are afraid to work.

Months before he was removed from office, Rishi Sunak announced a series of reforms aimed at improving this system.

The former prime minister promised to take away people’s benefits after 12 months if they were fit for work and did not accept job offers.

It is unclear how Labour plans to tackle this headwind. It is planning a review of the benefits system, although the details are currently vague.

Our poll clearly shows that reforms are urgently needed to break the stigma surrounding the welfare state, with one angry respondent telling GB News that the “overly generous” safety net is the “root cause” of Britain’s problems.

Another respondent was furious about what they saw as the unfairness built into the system, saying the system “has caused most of the problems in this country, including attracting millions of foreigners who want to claim the system.”

Others fear that it will lead to perverse incentives, especially among young people.

During a discussion about apprenticeships at a local school, business owner Gez was shocked when a 15-year-old raised his hand and said, “Why would you be interested? We can get more money by signing you up.”