Jacob
What goes around comes around.
It was anticipated and loudly shouted over and over again that we needed the workforce and that immigration is (and always has been) a huge boon to the economy and to society.There is a danger of post rationalising Brexit. I do not believe it was anticipated at the time it would expose the very real weaknesses that with hindsight should have been evident:
The main failing I thought was with the left being too timid and with the Unions failing to protect wages and conditions for the working population including immigrants. The Unions too were under the influence of the mealy mouthed nationalism emanating from Farage and his ilk.
PS and of course the tories just exploiting whichever way the political wind seemed to be blowing.