Rotting apples in an orchard, Friday Bridge, Cambs. Fruit remained unpicked in the autumn of 2021 when thousands of migrant workers left the UK after the Government threatened to make the Covid 19 jab a condition of employment.

One of the deliberate outcomes of the European Union’s expansion in 2004 was the establishment of a subordinate class of migrant manual labourers, obliged scurry around member states acting as a mechanism to restrain the domestic workforce, suppressing wages and maintaining minimal working conditions. This dynamic was particularly pronounced in the Fens' agricultural sector, which depended heavily on foreign labour to supply supermarkets with produce at the lowest possible price. 

 The confluence of Brexit’s ripple effects and burgeoning economic prospects in their countries of origin empowered workers from the A8 nations to advocate for improved remuneration, enhanced working conditions, and the freedom to explore alternative vocations. This shift elicited consternation from large agricultural conglomerates in particular, which had long viewed their labour force as an encumbrance rather than an asset. Compounding this tension, the first generation of migrants who had laboured under the Society yoke were terrified into leaving the country when the Conservative Government threatened to make the Covid 19 jab mandatory. This exodus of workers from both the agricultural and care sectors in particular, left a significant void in the UK economy. To address this shortfall, wages were compelled to rise, a development that ultimately benefitted the indigenous population and those migrants who chose to remain. Consequently, prices had to rise, much to the chagrin of shareholders and consumers alike—the both having been lulled into the misconception that a low-wage, low-growth economy was emblematic of a thriving, modern society.