A cheekily “disputed” Wikipedia page has popped up, and this time it’s not about obscure animals or questionable football stats. The ‘Boriswave’ page takes aim at the surprising spike in immigration to the UK during Boris Johnson’s time as prime minister. And yes, the irony has not been lost on anyone.
What on Earth is the Boriswave?
The page details what can only be described as an immigration curveball. In 2021, right after Britain waved goodbye to the European Union (with Brexit confetti still in the air), immigration numbers shot up — defying the very promises many Brexit supporters, including Johnson himself, had made.
It’s a bit like claiming you’ll clean up your diet, then immediately diving headfirst into a family-sized trifle.
Promises, Promises
Johnson and his Conservative colleagues spent much of the 2010s swearing blind they’d get net migration under control. In fact, they squeezed the same pledge into four general election campaigns like a dodgy filler track on a greatest hits album. The result? A resounding lack of delivery.
Fast-forward to Rishi Sunak’s time at the helm, and even he couldn’t resist pointing fingers at Boris, saying he’d “inherited very large numbers.” It seems playing the blame game is still a favourite pastime in Westminster.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Revised figures dropped in late 2023, revealing that net migration in 2022 smashed all records, reaching a whopping 745,000. To put that into perspective: that’s like filling Wembley Stadium eight times over. And this all came after Johnson’s government rejigged the immigration system post-Brexit.
For the year leading up to June 2023, the numbers eased slightly to 672,000 — still huge, but perhaps enough for someone in government to claim things are “trending in the right direction.”
So Why ‘Boriswave’?
The term ‘Boriswave’ is a snappy way of summing up the sheer scale of immigration that kicked off in 2021 — essentially, a wave large enough to make even the staunchest Leave voters spit out their Yorkshire tea.
Whether you find it tragic, ironic, or downright laughable, the Wikipedia page seems here to stay. At least until someone disputes it again…
You may also like: Marks & Spencer opens a warehouse just for Brexit paperwork
