A Guide to Speaking Bravely on Migration Amidst Fear and Division  

In training workshops across the UK, IMIX staff have heard the same concerns repeatedly: “I want to speak up about migration, but I’m worried about backlash, not having the right facts, or not being taken seriously.” Community organisers, charity workers, local councillors, people who care deeply about welcoming migrants and refugees, are overwhelmed, under-resourced, and unsure if their words are cutting through. 

With the far-right gaining ground and anti-migration rhetoric dominating headlines, the stakes feel impossibly high. Say the wrong thing and you might face backlash, especially online, ripe for further provocation by Reform UK and their allies on the far right. Stay silent, and you cede the entire conversation to those spreading fear and misinformation. 

This tension, the urgency to speak and the anxiety about how to do so persuasively led IMIX and expert partners to develop a new messaging guide for countering anti-migration narratives in the UK. 

Understanding what we’re up against 

Before we could craft narratives that inspire change, we needed to understand exactly what anti-migration narratives we need to counter. Working with research from HOPE not Hate, the three core anti-migration narratives dominating public conversation were: 

• The Competition narrative frames migrants as taking resources such as social housing, NHS appointments, and schools, positioning ‘us’ against ‘them’ in a zero-sum game. 
   
   

• The Culture narrative stokes fears about demographics and integration, often devolving into Islamophobic stereotypes about separate communities that ‘reject our way of life’. 
   
   

• The Control narrative taps into anxieties about sovereignty and government incompetence, painting the UK as powerless against international laws like the ECHR, unable to enforce its own borders. 

These narratives are powerful because they speak to real anxieties: economic insecurity, feelings of being ignored by those in power, and a sense that the system isn’t working for ordinary people. The challenge and the opportunity in this understanding of the narratives at play is this: good messaging is not about dismissing these concerns; it’s about redirecting them toward the actual sources of harm while envisioning something better. 

Breaking the reactive cycle 

Crucially, while the guide analyses and draws out these anti-migrant narratives, it refuses to stay trapped in responding to them. Simply countering the far-right’s talking points keeps us locked in a cycle where we’re forever playing defence, inadvertently reinforcing the legitimacy of their framing. 

Instead, the guide sets out a proactive vision for what a migration system could look like, drawing on incredible research by the UK sector. It moves us beyond the polarised, reactive debates that dominate both online and offline spaces, and toward setting our own agenda. What kind of values do we want to be known for?  What does a just migration system look like? How do we build communities that work for everyone? These are the questions we should be asking and the conversations we should be leading. As is suggested in the guide:  

People who come to this country aren’t the problem; they’re part of the solution. They bring skills, culture, energy, and hope. 

This messaging guide also addresses common tensions which arise in communicating about people on the move – namely, the cost and contribution narratives. Certain language risks dehumanising people by linking them only to their ability to, for example, contribute to the economy, rather than appealing to the humanity we have in common, and pointing to the powers and profiteers at play:  

 We all want the same basic things — the chance to care for our loved ones, to rely on quality hospitals and schools, and to build a secure future. We deserve leaders who put people first and invest in the communities that keep this country running. 

Yet instead of tackling the real issues, some politicians point the finger at refugees and migrants… 

Speaking to persuadable audiences 

For those who want a deeper dive into how and why different messages resonate with different UK audiences, the guide also synthesises research from More in Common and HOPE not Hate to identify who we can reach. Not everyone will be persuaded, but many people are genuinely moveable, if we understand what matters to them. 

The research identifies persuadable segments like the Incrementalist Left (21% of the population), who favour gradual change and trust institutions, or Sceptical Scrollers (10%), who distrust mainstream media and seek information online. Each group has different concerns, different media diets, and different language that resonates. 

Meanwhile, HOPE not Hate’s research reveals what they have called the Reluctant Reformers, 19% of Reform UK’s supporter base whose views span the political spectrum, including showing support for multiculturalism. In fact, they’re more likely to support multiculturalism than the national average. These aren’t hardened fanatics but people who need to see community cohesion initiatives, stories that humanise migrants, and evidence of people working together across differences. 

Building blocks for better messages 

As well as providing suggested messaging, the guide provides a framework for how to build messages that work: 

• Value establishes common ground, the things we all care about, like family, safety, or community. 

• Villain names the real problem, not migrants, but the political choices that have left communities under-resourced. 

• Vision paints a picture of what’s possible when we get it right. 

Instead of tackling the real issues, some politicians point the finger at refugees and migrants, while handing billions to corporations like Serco, Clearsprings, and Mears. 

Using these building blocks, we developed three core messages on Society, Economy, and Competence, each designed to counter specific anti-migration narratives and reach specific audiences. 

We need both competence and compassion to build a system that works. One that is fair, safe, and well-run — we create a Britain that feels more secure, more confident, and more hopeful for all of us. 

Making it work locally 

The far-right understands the power of local organising. They show up at town halls, school gates, and community meetings. If we’re going to counter that presence, we need to give people not just the courage to speak, but the clarity and confidence to do so effectively by tailoring language to what resonates locally, addressing the concerns that matter most in their neighbourhoods. 

The guide we have created is designed to be adapted. National messaging only goes so far, but local organisers can take these frameworks and translate them into the specific contexts of their communities. After all, the person who knows how to talk about migration in Middlesbrough will have different ways of talking about it to the person in Plymouth or Glasgow. 

Our towns are strongest when everyone’s potential is valued. When we stick together — across race, religion, and background — we build communities that are safer, fairer, and kinder for all of us. 

That’s what this messaging guide offers: not a prescription, but a resource. Not certainty, but confidence. Not silence, but the words to break it -with care, with strategy, and with hope for what we can imagine and build together. 

You can find the latest version of our guide HERE