Boris Wave: How Far-Right Memes Reshape the Immigration Debate

The Today in Focus episode traces the emergence of the term Boris wave in online far-right spaces and its surprising journey into mainstream media. It explains how memes and phrases supply a scapegoat for complex migration dynamics, reframing concerns around immigration into a partisan narrative anchored to a single political figure. An expert from Birkbeck University breaks down the mechanisms that move fringe language into everyday talk, and the discussion considers how left-leaning critics respond and how to approach these terms without amplifying them.

Origins and Seed Time

The episode begins with a close look at where Boris wave came from, tracing its first appearance on the social platform X in June 2024 to an anonymous account known as Max Tempers. The term described a rise in migration from non-EU countries and simultaneously acted as a racially tinged shorthand for newcomers from the global South. The discussion explains how fringe language can be repackaged as a legitimate political conversation when it rides a wave of repetition and becomes linked to a named public figure, in this case Boris Johnson, even though migration dynamics extend far beyond any single leader.

“Boris Wave is not simply about pinning an increase in migration on Boris Johnson.” – Dr Robert Pinker, Birkbeck University

Seed to Mainstream: Pathways and Platforms

The reporting moves from online seeding to mainstream uptake. A Wikipedia page for the phrase helps it appear as part of the public conversation, and mainstream media begin to reference it after a December 2024 post by Zia Yusuf, then Reform UK’s chair. January 2025 marks the first major mainstream publication mentioning the term, followed by further amplification in The Spectator and on GB News through high-profile figures such as Dominic Cummings. The episode argues that this trajectory shows how online subcultures can influence civic discourse when phrases are repackaged with a sense of legitimacy and urgency.

“It's a way of framing it as part of a right-wing conspiracy theory that there is this plan to replace the West with people from the non-West.” – Dr Robert Pinker, Birkbeck University

Rhetorical Framing and the Language of Invasion

Key terms such as fighting age males and the use of “illegals” for asylum seekers illustrate how vocabulary can steer public perception. The term fighting age males is traced to US military language used to justify drone strikes, then repurposed to describe migrants in Europe and North America. The discussion links these phrases to the broader Great Replacement and cultural Marxism narratives, showing how complex migration realities are collapsed into a single enemy and a single storyline, often advancing a radical policy agenda under the guise of emergency or threat.

“Fighting age males originated in the US military as a euphemism for drone strikes, later repurposed to describe migrants in Europe and North America.” – Dr Robert Pinker, Birkbeck University

Political Utility, Left Response, and the Challenge Ahead

The episode rounds out with an examination of Reform UK’s online strategy, its TikTok and X presence, and how these phrases are repurposed for political gain. It also considers how some Labour MPs have used Boris wave to critique Conservative immigration policy, illustrating how the term migrates between political camps. The discussion ends with strategic guidance for the left: explain context, critique the terms, and avoid amplifying harmful rhetoric, while recognizing that the broader migration policy conversation remains essential and urgent.

“The left gets divisive basically as they debate over which term is the least problematic.” – Dr Robert Pinker, Birkbeck University