Racism and Austerity: Tory Ideology, Migrants, Muslims and the Working Class

by Mike Cole

Overview

This powerful book analyses racism within Britain’s Tory Party along with its immigration policies and imposition of austerity, exposing how 14 years of Tory rule deepened inequality and division.

With vivid examples, from the Windrush scandal and Grenfell tragedy to Islamophobia, Cole reveals how “hostile environment” policies, the “age of austerity” and brutal budget cuts have shaped lives and communities. Combining sharp analysis with historical context, the book uncovers how these issues are deeply tied to capitalism and class struggles.

In the light of the rise of the far right in Britain and offering both immediate solutions and a vision for systemic change, this crucial work challenges us to imagine a fairer, more compassionate society grounded in justice and solidarity.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781529239775
Publisher:	Bristol University Press
Publication date:	07/22/2025
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	238
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x (d)

About the Author

Mike Cole is Emeritus Professor of Racism Studies at the University of East London and Emeritus Professor of Education and Equality at Bishop Grosseteste University.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part I: Conceptual and Theoretical Issues

1. The Multifaceted Nature of UK Racism

2. Austerity: A Flawed Economic Policy or a Deliberate Act of Capitalist Crisis Management and Class Warfare from Above?

Part II: Racism and the Hostile Environment

3. Theresa May and the Hostile Environment: Preparation, Official Launch and Enactment (2009-2019)

4. Boris Johnson and Priti Patel: Personal Rhetoric and Further Draconian Measures (2019-2022)

5. Suella Braverman, Hostile Rhetoric and the Escalation of the Hostile Environment (2022-2023)

Part III: Austerity

6. David Cameron, the ‘Age of Austerity’ and Its Impact (2009-2019)

7. Boris Johnson’s COVID Economy, Liz Truss’s Mini Budget and Their Impacts (2019-2022)

8. Rishi Sunak’s Fiscal and Industrial Austerity: Cutting Social Expenditure and the War Against the Unions (2022-2023)

Conclusion: Hostility and Austerity as Interrelated Concepts - Some Examples and Some Solutions

Postscript: Election 2024 - Labour Wins, Far-Right Riots and the Tories Elect a New Leader

Editorial Reviews

Mike Cole - a leading Marxist writer on racism and class politics - has written an extremely important and timely book drawing our attention to the structuring force of racism today.” Satnam Virdee, University of Glasgow, co-author of Britain In Fragments: Why Things are Falling Apart

“Cole's work provides an important concrete contribution to exposing the economic foundations of contemporary racism, highlighting how austerity politics serve to divide the working class—in a way that is functional to profit accumulation and detrimental to democratic processes.” Clara Mattei, author of The Capital Order: How Economists Invented Austerity and Paved the Way to Fascism

“Mike Cole provides his readers with a deep look at Tory austerity fuelled by racism and xenophobia.  His timely indictment will motivate resistance and change.” Michael Hillard, University of Southern Maine

“A powerful, clear and rage-inducing indictment of savage Tory racism and austerity and their impacts. A very welcome lucid Marxist analysis and critique.” Dave Hill, Chief Editor, Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies and Anglia Ruskin University

“This book explores how successive Tory governments since 2010 have used austerity as a deliberate policy to make the poor poorer whilst channelling that wealth to a small elite. Racism in its many guises has been deliberately inflamed to provide a convenient scapegoat to shift attention away from this wealth stripping and wealth shifting.” John Clay, Goldsmiths, University of London

From the Publisher