ABSTRACT
One of the most outstanding trends in the UK over the last 20 years or so is the growth of the population in the post-war period, a growth that is higher than the EU average and highest of the four most populous EU member states. Increased net migration has been the main driver for this changing demographic profile, contributing 54 per cent of the increase to the UK population, although this trend has reversed slightly in more recent years. There have been a number of policy changes relevant to this trend. The two key foci of these policies have been reducing net migration and limiting entitlement to benefits for migrants vis-à-vis benefit tourism. This chapter focuses on the latter of these. In particular, it analyses how these policy changes are underpinned by a retreat from multiculturalism towards assimilation, reflecting the diminution of social citizenship rights integral to being complete citizens. The important point that this chapter makes is that these changes in welfare entitlement are not just impacting on the rights of new migrants but are also limiting in a parallel way the citizenship rights of the wider non-migrant population.
