The Introduction drew attention to the preoccupations of different historical eras. It was argued that migration policy has its roots in laws enacted 200 years before ‘modern controls’, and such fundamental issues as the pros and cons of economic migration have been debated since the early eighteenth century. The second historical era (1905–1948) gave birth to a recognisable system of immigration control, which aimed to exclude certain groups of foreigners but was intricately bound up in empire. The third period (1948–1976) was crucial in that, after the dismemberment of empire, the dominant, bifurcated model – of ‘zero-migration’ and anti-discrimination laws – was established. The post-war policy response has thus shown ‘a pronounced duality’ where restriction on admissions has been combined with a process of managing ‘race relations’ (Zetter, 2002, p 42; see also Bhavnani et al, 2005). The fourth period, of mainly Conservative rule, was one of continuity (in an era of major economic and social policy change), where the most salient change was one of focus, where the target of policy changed to asylum seekers. Policy in this period can be seen in the light of pragmatic responses to new movements. Finally, the period between 1997 and 2007 can be characterised as one of managing migration in a globalising world.

Policy under Labour was described through an inductive analysis of five major policy themes. This analysis showed the direction of policy to be, on the one hand, a strong commitment to the management of migration for macro-economic gain, and on the other, the development of a tough security framework that combats unauthorised (or ‘illegal’) migration and reduces asylum seeking. The key question is what – if anything – has changed?

Anti-race discrimination measures have been reinforced and are central to equality. They are no longer simply a quid pro quo or one half of an immigration settlement. Anti-discrimination, race relations, community relations and community cohesion are difficult concepts to disentangle, but there has been a discernible move to mainstream race equality in acts of policy making under a banner of integration. The emphasis on integration marks a change from previous policy, but to suggest that this position has regressed to one of assimilation is an oversimplification.