[ElectricalUnion]

From my (foreign) point of view, is that now that the UK can no longer benefit even indirectly from what used to be a large transient workforce from the border-free Schengen Area, it instead is forced to actually accept "unsightly more permanent and real immigration" from the rest of the EU and the world at large to keep the economy turning.

So it went from "we don't like immigrants" to "pretty please immigrate to the UK even if you're not from the EU or we're toast".

[mike_hearn]

The UK isn't exactly begging people to immigrate. Quite the opposite. Legal immigration has blown through all records since the UK left the EU because the Conservative government set the salary thresholds very low.

This isn't what voters want or were promised at all, but there are currently no established parties in the UK that are willing to actually reduce immigration. They are all committed to allowing in the highest numbers possible.

In theory this behavior should be punished by voters, but if all the parties are the same then there isn't much voters can do except refuse to vote at all. This is what they're telling pollsters they'll do in the next GE. Polls predict a big shift to Labour, but this isn't because Labour is suddenly more popular. It's because the Conservative voters have become so disillusioned with being misled over the immigration issue that they're just refusing to vote at all.

[dfawcus]

Sort of, but we were never in Schengen.

However that didn't constrain EU workers, as the 4 freedoms are distinct from, and predate Schengen.