No single issue has dominated the agenda ahead of the Scottish parliament election in May. But immigration, despite being a matter not devolved to Holyrood, has been part of campaigns. This is because some parties use it to feed wider anxieties about housing, jobs, public services and identity.
Glasgow has been a particular flashpoint because of its role as a City of Sanctuary for asylum seekers. About 6% of the UK’s asylum seekers live in Scotland, with over half in Glasgow, though data suggests this proportion is falling.
Reform UK has sought to capitalise on this. Although no small boats have landed on Scottish coastlines, Reform’s leader in Scotland, Malcolm Offord, unveiled a billboard in Glasgow with an image of migrants crowded into a dinghy. Large red text reads: “Scotland is at a breaking point.”
