The Home Office immigration vans – successful and popular with the nation?

Are those Home Office vans targeting illegal immigrants universally disliked? The outcry from when the vans first took to the streets — notably #racistvan on Twitter — would suggest so but new polling from YouGov shows a disconnect between what those in politics and media think and the rest of the country. Over half of those polled this week support the vans, up eight points when last questioned in July:

Two thirds also stated they disagreed that the vans were racist, up five points since the last batch of polling, while only 34 per cent thought they were offensive and stupid. The campaign group Liberty were certainly offended; they were disgruntled enough to commission their own van. Liberty’s van drove around the Home Office building on Marsham Street last week, with a speaker blaring out their concerns:

It’s the battle of the billboard vans! @libertyhq‘s alternative to #racistvan rolling through Westminster