Thursday briefing: What we can learn from the Swiss rejection of a population cap

In today’s newsletter: A referendum to limit Switzerland’s population to 10 million failed to pass, but it shows that even in a prosperous country, hardliners are finding inventive ways to peddle anti-immigration sentiment Good morning. Polling stations have just opened in Makerfield, where byelection voters will make a decision that – whatever the result – will have long-term, national consequences. Results are expected in the early hours, and we’ll have them in full, along with much more, in your inboxes tomorrow morning. Today we turn to another vote, which, much like certain parts of the campaign in Makerfield, centred on immigration. Swiss progressives breathed a collective sigh of relief on Sunday night, after voters rejected a divisive referendum. The far-right proposal, backed by Switzerland’s biggest parliamentary party, the Swiss People’s party (SVP), wanted to limit the country’s permanent population to 10 million until 2050. It would have made Switzerland the first country to implement a population cap. The Swiss electorate had other ideas. After a campaign in which the margins looked incredibly tight, final figures show the initiative was defeated by a more comfortable