Ryan Shorthouse and David Kirkby

January 2015

This report is the first of several from this project. It demonstrates the distinctiveness of the views of Conservative voters on immigration, which can help provide the underlying principles for a more balanced centre-right policy agenda on immigration. Conservatives have a reasonable and clear position: they want an immigration system that is fairer and welcoming of contributors. They are not against immigration per se, but against what they perceive as unfair immigration. In essence, they want to build a contributory-based immigration system.