Without immigration, I might well not be here

The National

20-05-2025

I was lying in theatre after an emergency caesarean section. There was hustle and bustle all around me from the medical team.
I was haemorrhaging badly. Things had taken a serious turn, and the doctors were preparing for the possibility of removing my womb to save my life.
An obstetrician was called. She rushed in, calm, focused and decisive. With extraordinary skill, she saved my womb. She saved my life. I went on to have two more children.
She was a migrant. In the moment, I didn't stop to ask where she was born or how long she'd been in the country, I was too busy being grateful that she was there. I wasn't thinking about borders or immigration status, I was thinking, 'Thank God for her'.
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That memory returns every time I hear anti-immigrant rhetoric, and it came roaring back last week when I listened to the Prime Minister deliver his speech on immigration. It was cold. Calculated. And laced with language that felt designed to sow fear. Keir Starmer spoke of 'chaos', 'experiments,' and 'shutting down the lab'. And I couldn't help but think: 'Does he even know who he's talking about?'
Migrants aren't just numbers in a spreadsheet or slogans on a lectern. They're the people who save lives. Who support our teachers. Who process our food. Who care for our loved ones.
And let's be honest, these new immigration policies aren't about economics, fairness, or control. It's pure populism. If the UK Government really cared about economic growth, it wouldn't be pulling up the drawbridge on working-age migrants.
In Scotland, we face a falling birth rate, an ageing population, and serious labour shortages in key sectors. Our fish processors, care homes, farms, and hospitals are crying out for workers.
When employers can't recruit, it's because there simply aren't enough people. So they turn to migrant labour. This is not because people are lazy or on benefits.
Throughout my constituency of Banffshire and Buchan Coast, I've spoken to seafood factory owners who have said plainly that without migrant workers, they'll have to shut their doors. These are businesses that feed the nation, export to the world and support entire communities. They offer hard, honest work.
Many migrants have been here for years, raising families, paying taxes, and keeping our coastal economy afloat. Now, under the UK Government's new rules, they are being told they're no longer welcome And it's not just our coast that's under pressure. Across Scotland, we're facing a demographic challenge.
According to the National Records of Scotland, our population is projected to start falling from 2040 unless we have continued inward migration. The number of people aged 75 and over is rising rapidly, while our working-age population is shrinking.
The Fraser of Allander Institute warned that without immigration, Scotland's workforce could decline by nearly 20% in the coming decades. That would be catastrophic for our economy and our services. We need people and we need policies that reflect that.
Let me also clear up a misunderstanding I keep seeing on social media. People talk about migrants 'coming over on boats', as if they're all the same – as if a factory worker in Peterhead, a student in Aberdeen, and someone desperately fleeing war or persecution are part of one big group. They're not.
When we talk about immigration to support the economy, like filling gaps in the care sector or in fish processing, we're talking about legal routes via visas, work permits, and sponsorship. That's entirely different from people coming here seeking asylum – which is a legal right under international law.
And yes, some of those people arrive by small boat, not because they're 'jumping the queue', but because there's no safe, official route open to them. Once here, they're not allowed to work. They're often housed in hotels, living on a few pounds a day and unable to contribute even though many desperately want to.
These are two completely different systems, but bad actors deliberately blur the lines to stoke fear. It's the same scapegoating tactic we've seen throughout history, and it always ends up hurting the wrong people.
When I see them being lumped together and blamed for everything from housing shortages to NHS waiting times, I feel furious, as a politician and as a human being. Because this scapegoating doesn't just distract from the real causes of our problems, it also dehumanises the people helping to solve them.
Let's take one example, the social care sector. Scotland has one of the highest vacancy rates for care jobs in the UK. We are literally unable to meet demand without workers from abroad. Yet now, the visa rules for these roles are being tightened. How is that sustainable?
Clinging to a Brexit-shaped fantasy that has already cost Scotland dearly will be devastating. Our fishing industry was promised the world and left with red tape and worker shortages. Now it's being dealt another blow by a government that sees value only in votes, not people.
This isn't about the UK being 'full'. It's about being failed – failed by a London-focused Westminster Government making policy for polling numbers.
Scotland deserves better. And one day soon, with independence, we'll build an immigration system that reflects who we are and what we need. To those who have chosen Scotland as their home, we thank you. You are not the problem. You are part of the solution.
Let's reject this anti-immigration populist nonsense and be reasonable and pragmatic. Keir Starmer, not in our name.