Although immigration featured heavily in the Brexit campaign, areas with the most migrants—notably London—were among those most likely to vote Remain (see chart 1). Mint-tea-sipping metropolitans may find it absurd that people in areas with comparatively few foreigners should be so keen to curb migration. But consider the change in numbers, rather than the total headcount, and the opposite pattern emerges (chart 2). Where foreign-born populations increased by more than 200% between 2001 and 2014, a Leave vote followed in 94% of cases. The proportion of migrants may be relatively low in Leave strongholds such as Boston, Lincolnshire, but it has soared in a short period of time. High numbers of migrants don’t bother Britons; high rates of change do.
