Labour holding a substantial lead as best party on immigration is a very unusual situation - Cons reputation as party of immigration control has given them solid leads on this issue going back to the late 1960s
https://twitter.com/sundersays/status/1487091682701107213
The current Labour lead likely reflects confluence of two trends:
1. Cons lost their big advantage on imm control during coalition (failed "tens of thousands" pledge), never really regained it.
2. Steady and substantial growith in pro-imm electorate, who want *less* control
1. Cons lost their big advantage on imm control during coalition (failed "tens of thousands" pledge), never really regained it.
2. Steady and substantial growith in pro-imm electorate, who want *less* control
Conservative right's preference is to target (1) by going after refugees crossing the channel. Problem with this is twofold. First, it may fail to deliver as a policy, further hurting govt with strongly pro-control voters (as net migration pledge did duing coalition).
Second, a focus on policies seen by more liberal/pro-migration as excessively harsh & cruel may harm Cons with pro-migration voters, increasing Labour's lead with this (large & growing) group.
Incidentally, this outcome has been foreshadowed in polling data for quite a while now - there has been a substantial and sustained positive shift in immigration attitudes across the board (Remainers *and* Leavers) since at least 2016
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