The Guardian view on immigration debate: tough is not a synonym for effective | Editorial

There is always more continuity in regime change than incoming ministers or their ousted predecessors admit. Much of any government’s agenda is dictated by the need to keep the state functioning from one day to the next, and that is less ideological than election campaigns make it seem. This is true even with an issue as fissile as immigration. On Wednesday, Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, confirmed that the government would press ahead…