FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

News

Who Would Migrants Vote For? - The British Election

VICE News traveled to Calais to speak to migrants trying to reach the United Kingdom and find out who they'd vote for in the UK election.

British politics hasn't been this concerned with immigration for decades. As the general election looms, UKIP, a controversial right-wing political party, is predicted to woo one in 10 voters due to its uncompromising anti-immigration policy — which includes only accepting Christian refugees. Even the left-leaning Labour party has made controls on immigration a central point of its manifesto.

For more than 10 years, Calais, a port town in the north of France, has been a stop off point for migrants and refugees seeking a better life in the UK. Surviving in shantytowns and squats, they risk their lives scrambling onto moving trucks in an effort to get into Britain illegally.

VICE News travelled to Calais to see what life is like in this limbo overlooking the English Channel — and find out who the migrants and refugees would vote for if they could participate in the election.

Watch "Behind the Political Spin: The British Election"

Read "'England's Most Precious Institution': Election Battle Lines Are Drawn Over the UK's Beloved Health Service"